Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $25.70 and last traded at $24.78, with a volume of 361605 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $25.53.

Key Stories Impacting Levi Strauss & Co.

Here are the key news stories impacting Levi Strauss & Co. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Levi’s direct-to-consumer strategy remains a potential growth driver. Digital sales, loyalty programs, expanded apparel categories and international growth are intended to support higher-quality revenue and improve the company’s operating efficiency. How Levi Strauss Is Building a Faster-Growing DTC Lifestyle Brand
• Positive Sentiment: The company is also investing in e-commerce, artificial intelligence-ready systems and customer data capabilities, which could help Levi Strauss build a faster-growing and more efficient business. How Levi Is Using Digital Growth and AI to Reshape Its Future Path
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results were better than expected: earnings per share came in at $0.28 versus a $0.24 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 8% year over year to $1.56 billion. Levi Strauss also raised its fiscal 2026 outlook and increased its quarterly dividend to $0.16 from $0.14.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained an “equal weight” rating and set a $25 price target, signaling limited expected upside and a more balanced risk/reward profile after LEVI’s earnings-driven rally. Levi Strauss Shares Lower After Wells Fargo Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s cautious stance is weighing on sentiment, particularly as analysts point to LEVI’s higher valuation, tariff exposure and execution risks following its strong advance.
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Harmit Singh sold 98,144 shares worth approximately $2.38 million, reducing his direct holdings by nearly half. The transaction occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which lessens its significance as a discretionary bearish signal but may still pressure sentiment. Insider Selling: Levi Strauss & Co. EVP Sells Stock

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LEVI has been the subject of several analyst reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $27.29.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.49 billion, a PE ratio of 15.22, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.33.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.79% and a net margin of 9.66%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.22 earnings per share. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. This is an increase from Levi Strauss & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 47,721 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total value of $1,145,781.21. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 98,144 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.22, for a total transaction of $2,377,047.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 98,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,391,652.34. This represents a 49.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,334,947 shares of company stock valued at $31,119,240. 1.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,320,747 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $193,312,000 after acquiring an additional 342,009 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,839,861 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $89,489,000 after purchasing an additional 3,979,223 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $88,014,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296,474 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,457,702 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $80,564,000 after buying an additional 294,053 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $60,854,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

Levi Strauss & Co is a global apparel company best known for its denim jeans and casual wear. Founded in 1853 in San Francisco by Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss, the company pioneered the modern blue jean with the introduction of rivet-reinforced work pants. Over its more than 160-year history, Levi Strauss has evolved into a lifestyle brand, offering a broad portfolio that includes denim for men, women and children, as well as tops, outerwear, footwear and accessories.

The company’s flagship label, Levi’s®, is recognized worldwide for its iconic styles such as the 501® Original Fit Jeans, while additional brands, including Dockers®, Target core metric, and Denizen® by Levi’s, cater to diverse price points and consumer segments.