Harmit Singh Sells 110,000 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Stock

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) EVP Harmit Singh sold 110,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total transaction of $2,530,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 270,514 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,221,822. This trade represents a 28.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

NYSE:LEVI opened at $22.49 on Friday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $15.32 and a 12-month high of $24.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a PE ratio of 14.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $20.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.04.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.05. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 25.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.38 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is 35.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LEVI shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.77.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.8% during the 4th 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. lifted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,296,474 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted 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 in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 83.4% during the 2nd 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 owned by institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

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.