Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Shares Acquired by Thompson Investment Management Inc.

Thompson Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) by 113.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 34,200 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock after acquiring an additional 18,200 shares during the period. Thompson Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $592,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,904.1% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 5,137 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 4,966 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co increased its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 5,507 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at $105,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Levi Strauss & Co. 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 value of $74,988.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 104,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,875,204. This represents a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 16,664 shares of company stock valued at $301,785 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LEVI shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim boosted their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target 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. Citigroup reduced 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 research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. 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.com, Levi Strauss & Co. has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of LEVI traded down $0.29 on Wednesday, reaching $17.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,218,639 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,207,914. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.93 billion, a PE ratio of 33.65, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $17.73 and a 200-day moving average of $18.20. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $15.62 and a twelve month high of $24.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

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.