Brokerages Set Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Price Target at $21.27

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.27.

Several analysts recently issued reports on LEVI shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 3.3 %

NYSE LEVI opened at $18.43 on Friday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12 month low of $15.62 and a 12 month high of $24.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $17.76 and a 200-day moving average of $18.20. The company has a market cap of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of 35.43, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 25.88%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.82%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $74,988.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 104,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,875,204. This trade represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 16,664 shares of company stock worth $301,785. Insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,673,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 16.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 794,408 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $17,318,000 after acquiring an additional 110,993 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $832,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 81.6% in the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 117,449 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $2,560,000 after purchasing an additional 52,760 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,222,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co engages in the design, marketing, and sale of apparel products. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, tops, shorts, skirts, jackets, footwear, and related accessories. It operates through the following geographical segments: Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded by Levi Strauss in 1853 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.