Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.45.

LEVI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $24.00 target price (up previously from $20.00) on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEVI opened at $19.64 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1-year low of $12.17 and a 1-year high of $22.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $18.86 and its 200-day moving average is $17.46.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 10th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.09. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 6.40% and a return on equity of 28.75%. The company had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from Levi Strauss & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.90%.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LEVI. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 35.4% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,109 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 812 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,286 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently 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.