Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Hits New 52-Week High at $22.40

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $22.40 and last traded at $22.27, with a volume of 1309150 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $22.16.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on LEVI. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, TheStreet raised Levi Strauss & Co. from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.56.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 0.4 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of $19.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.43.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 8th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is presently 154.84%.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, EVP Tracy Layney sold 15,894 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.02, for a total value of $270,515.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 41,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $705,785.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, EVP Tracy Layney sold 15,894 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.02, for a total transaction of $270,515.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 41,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $705,785.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David A. Friedman sold 35,415 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.00, for a total value of $708,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 179,430 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,588,600. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 267,212 shares of company stock valued at $5,437,220. 3.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 21.5% during 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 during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter worth $195,000. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter worth $215,000. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at $223,000. Finally, Duality Advisers LP purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the third quarter worth about $225,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

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.