Financial Analysis: Christopher & Banks (OTCMKTS:CBKCQ) and Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) and Christopher & Banks (OTCMKTS:CBKCQ) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and profitability.

Volatility and Risk

Levi Strauss & Co. has a beta of 1.25, suggesting that its stock price is 25% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Christopher & Banks has a beta of -5.48, suggesting that its stock price is 648% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Levi Strauss & Co. and Christopher & Banks”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Levi Strauss & Co.	$6.49 billion	1.36	$210.60 million	$1.02	21.94
Christopher & Banks	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Levi Strauss & Co. has higher revenue and earnings than Christopher & Banks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Levi Strauss & Co. and Christopher & Banks, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Levi Strauss & Co.	0	2	9	0	2.82
Christopher & Banks	0	0	0	0	0.00

Levi Strauss & Co. currently has a consensus target price of $23.45, suggesting a potential upside of 4.82%. Given Levi Strauss & Co.’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Levi Strauss & Co. is more favorable than Christopher & Banks.

Profitability

This table compares Levi Strauss & Co. and Christopher & Banks’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Levi Strauss & Co.	6.40%	28.75%	9.03%
Christopher & Banks	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

69.1% of Levi Strauss & Co. shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Levi Strauss & Co. shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 19.8% of Christopher & Banks shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Levi Strauss & Co. beats Christopher & Banks on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

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.

About Christopher & Banks

Christopher & Banks Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of private-brand women's apparel and accessories in the United States. The company designs and sells women's apparel and accessories to customers ranging in age from 50 and older. Its stores offer women's apparel consisting of casual clothing, everyday basics, wear-to-work, leisure/active wear, and sleepwear in missy, petite, and women sizes, as well as jewelry and accessories. It also operates christopherandbanks.com, an e-commerce website for its Christopher & Banks and CJ Banks brands. The company was formerly known as Braun's Fashions Corporation and changed its name to Christopher & Banks Corporation in July 2000. Christopher & Banks Corporation was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota. On April 13, 2021, the voluntary petition of Christopher & Banks Corporation for reorganization under Chapter 11 was converted to Chapter 7. It had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on January 13, 2021.