Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.27.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LEVI shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim raised their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of LEVI traded down $0.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $18.24. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,979,550 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,174,595. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $15.62 and a 12-month high of $24.34. The stock has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a PE ratio of 35.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17. The company's 50 day moving average is $17.77 and its 200 day moving average is $18.20.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 25.88%. Equities analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $74,988.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 104,178 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,875,204. This represents a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 16,664 shares of company stock worth $301,785 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,420,007 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $205,356,000 after buying an additional 2,907,099 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,541,784 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $26,858,000 after acquiring an additional 840,251 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 59.4% during the 3rd 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 valued at $33,907,000 after acquiring an additional 579,460 shares in the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the third quarter worth about $10,817,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 946,998 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $16,383,000 after purchasing an additional 152,590 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company's stock.

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.