Entropy Technologies LP Makes New $511,000 Investment in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 29,548 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock, valued at approximately $511,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LEVI. FMR LLC increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,420,007 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $205,356,000 after acquiring an additional 2,907,099 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 59.4% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,555,382 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $33,907,000 after acquiring an additional 579,460 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the third quarter worth about $10,817,000. Algert Global LLC increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 282.1% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 150,793 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $3,287,000 after acquiring an additional 111,330 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 16.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 794,408 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $17,318,000 after acquiring an additional 110,993 shares during the period. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 8,332 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $149,976.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 108,344 shares in the company, valued at $1,950,192. This represents a 7.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 16,664 shares of company stock valued at $301,785 over the last quarter. 3.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Levi Strauss & Co. stock traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $18.32. The stock had a trading volume of 1,382,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,274,863. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12 month low of $15.62 and a 12 month high of $24.34. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $17.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 35.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.88% and a net margin of 3.32%. As a group, research analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on LEVI shares. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

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.