Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Stock Rating Upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a report published on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $17.00 target price on the blue-jean maker's stock, down from their previous target price of $19.00.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $19.18.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Levi Strauss & Co. stock traded up $0.51 on Tuesday, hitting $15.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,760,142 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,166,498. The firm has a market cap of $5.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $16.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.41. Levi Strauss & Co. has a one year low of $12.17 and a one year high of $24.34.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.26 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 24th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 24th. Levi Strauss & Co.'s payout ratio is 58.43%.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $1,844,221.28. This represents a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings 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 valued at $1,980,000 after buying an additional 892 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,283 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 67.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,090 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 2,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,103 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $209,000 after purchasing an additional 2,998 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.