GW&K Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) by 31.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,219,599 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 531,963 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $46,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during the fourth 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 during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 9.3% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,457,702 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $80,564,000 after buying an additional 294,053 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in 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. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 27.9% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,909,810 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $44,499,000 after buying an additional 416,555 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, EVP Karyn Hillman sold 38,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.91, for a total value of $892,069.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 91,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,769.02. This represents a 29.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 2,279 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total transaction of $54,718.79. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 783,154 shares of company stock worth $17,630,460. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

LEVI opened at $23.60 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $21.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.27. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $16.50 and a 12-month high of $24.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.34.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on LEVI shares. Weiss Ratings raised Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.79.

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.