Insider Buying: Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Director Acquires 500 Shares of Stock

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Director Christopher J. Mccormick acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $22.11 per share, with a total value of $11,055.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,055. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Levi Strauss & Co. stock opened at $22.25 on Wednesday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52 week low of $12.41 and a 52 week high of $22.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $8.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $19.78 and a 200-day moving average of $17.25.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 3rd. The blue-jean maker reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 2.05% and a return on equity of 20.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.34 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 9th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 8th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 154.84%.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LEVI. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 9,541 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $130,000 after acquiring an additional 1,690 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter worth $195,000. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at $215,000. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter worth $223,000. Finally, Duality Advisers LP bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 3rd quarter worth about $225,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.56.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

Levi Strauss & Co designs, markets, and sells apparels and related accessories for men, women, and children worldwide. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, activewears, tops, shorts, skirts, dresses, jumpsuits, shirts, sweaters, jackets, footwear, and related accessories under the Levi's, Dockers, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co, Denizen, and Beyond Yoga brands.