Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $19.82.

LEVI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. 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. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $17.00 to $20.00 in a report on Thursday, April 10th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of LEVI opened at $17.67 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.88. The company has a market capitalization of $7.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.14. 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 1-year low of $12.17 and a 1-year high of $24.34.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.54 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.26 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 24th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 24th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.43%.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LEVI. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 101.5% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,210 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 1,113 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,286 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 1,879 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. Institutional investors 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.