Algert Global LLC Increases Stake in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Algert Global LLC boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) by 282.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 150,793 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock after buying an additional 111,330 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC's holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $3,287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,083.0% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,923,206 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $37,079,000 after acquiring an additional 1,835,107 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,070.8% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,431,518 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $27,600,000 after acquiring an additional 1,365,574 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 6,794.9% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,244,873 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $24,001,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226,818 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 21.5% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,274,326 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $82,409,000 after acquiring an additional 756,926 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the third quarter worth about $10,817,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $22.75.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 1.9 %

NYSE LEVI traded down $0.33 on Tuesday, hitting $16.78. 1,893,867 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,241,880. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Levi Strauss & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $14.70 and a fifty-two week high of $24.34. The company has a market cap of $6.66 billion, a PE ratio of 44.32, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $18.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.61.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 2nd. The blue-jean maker reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 24.43%. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. The firm's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 29th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 29th. Levi Strauss & Co.'s payout ratio is 136.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.15, for a total value of $79,778.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 154,178 shares in the company, valued at $2,952,508.70. This represents a 2.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.14% of the company's stock.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co designs, markets, and sells apparels and related accessories for men, women, and children worldwide. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, activewears, tops, shorts, skirts, dresses, jumpsuits, shirts, sweaters, jackets, footwear, and related accessories under the Levi's, Dockers, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co, Denizen, and Beyond Yoga brands.