Valmark Advisers Inc. Acquires Shares of 18,794 Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Valmark Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 18,794 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock, valued at approximately $325,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LEVI. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Matrix Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $95,000 after buying an additional 4,800 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter worth about $105,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,904.1% in the third 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. 69.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock traded down $0.26 on Friday, hitting $18.41. The stock had a trading volume of 1,586,205 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,094,194. 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. has a one year low of $15.62 and a one year high of $24.34. The stock has a market cap of $7.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.41, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $17.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.21.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.'s payout ratio is 100.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 research report on Friday, January 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $74,988.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 104,178 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,875,204. This trade represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold 16,664 shares of company stock valued at $301,785 over the last quarter. 3.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.