Jefferies Financial Group Initiates Coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price target on the blue-jean maker’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 25.66% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Levi Strauss & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $26.69.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

LEVI stock opened at $19.90 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $12.17 and a 52-week high of $24.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $21.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 13.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.08% and a net margin of 9.20%.The company had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.400-1.460 EPS. Analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, SVP David Jedrzejek sold 7,093 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.38, for a total value of $151,648.34. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 98,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,099,366.34. This trade represents a 6.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 181.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 151,645 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $2,364,000 after purchasing an additional 97,800 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter worth about $224,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,879 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $241,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,597,687 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $24,908,000 after buying an additional 52,332 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co is a global apparel company best known for its denim jeans and casual wear. Founded in 1853 in San Francisco by Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss, the company pioneered the modern blue jean with the introduction of rivet-reinforced work pants. Over its more than 160-year history, Levi Strauss has evolved into a lifestyle brand, offering a broad portfolio that includes denim for men, women and children, as well as tops, outerwear, footwear and accessories.

The company’s flagship label, Levi’s®, is recognized worldwide for its iconic styles such as the 501® Original Fit Jeans, while additional brands, including Dockers®, Target core metric, and Denizen® by Levi’s, cater to diverse price points and consumer segments.