Aurora Investment Counsel Invests $533,000 in Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

Aurora Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 28,842 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock, valued at approximately $533,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 260.5% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,121 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 810 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,425 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,879 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:LEVI opened at $24.36 on Friday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $17.72 and a fifty-two week high of $25.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.76. The company has a market cap of $9.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.04, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.66% and a return on equity of 25.79%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.22 earnings per share. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This is a positive change from Levi Strauss & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 47,721 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total value of $1,145,781.21. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 121,767 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.52, for a total value of $2,863,959.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 148,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,498,764.64. The trade was a 45.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,468,570 shares of company stock worth $34,136,152. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $34.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.46.

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.