Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Short Interest Up 81.6% in February

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 13,397,966 shares, a growth of 81.6% from the January 29th total of 7,377,714 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 3,169,086 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 3,169,086 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.2 days. Currently, 3.5% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP David Jedrzejek sold 7,093 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.38, for a total transaction of $151,648.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 98,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,099,366.34. This represents a 6.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jason Gowans sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total transaction of $873,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 92,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,012,704.17. This trade represents a 30.26% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 49,341 shares of company stock valued at $1,068,909. Insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,320,747 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $193,312,000 after purchasing an additional 342,009 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $88,014,000 after buying an additional 1,296,474 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,457,702 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $80,564,000 after buying an additional 294,053 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 2,219,599 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $46,034,000 after buying an additional 531,963 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 83.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,958,271 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $36,208,000 after buying an additional 890,752 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LEVI shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Levi Strauss & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $26.69.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

LEVI opened at $22.18 on Monday. 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 12-month low of $12.17 and a 12-month high of $24.82. The business has a 50 day moving average of $21.33 and a 200-day moving average of $21.65. The stock has a market cap of $8.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.28.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.400-1.460 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is presently 38.36%.

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.