Citigroup Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Stock Price

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by equities researchers at Citigroup from $19.00 to $14.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the blue-jean maker's stock. Citigroup's price target would suggest a potential downside of 6.82% from the stock's previous close.

LEVI has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group reduced their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $19.18.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE LEVI traded up $0.51 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $15.03. 3,760,142 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,166,498. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $16.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $5.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $12.17 and a 52-week high of $24.34.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.10. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 25.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.26 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co.'s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.44, for a total value of $76,821.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 100,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,844,221.28. This trade represents a 4.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 114,442 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $1,980,000 after acquiring an additional 892 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 54,151 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,283 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 67.5% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,090 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 2,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,103 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 2,998 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co engages in the design, marketing, and sale of apparel products. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, tops, shorts, skirts, jackets, footwear, and related accessories. It operates through the following geographical segments: Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded by Levi Strauss in 1853 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.