Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Major Shareholder Sells $1,207,000.00 in Stock

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) major shareholder Margaret Haas sold 50,000 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.14, for a total transaction of $1,207,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of LEVI stock opened at $24.41 on Monday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $12.17 and a 52-week high of $24.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.66 billion, a PE ratio of 23.93, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.85.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 10th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 28.75% and a net margin of 6.40%.The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Levi Strauss & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LEVI shares. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $25.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,425 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 101.5% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,210 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,113 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hara Capital LLC increased its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 8,080.0% during the second quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 2,045 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 2,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 35.4% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,109 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 812 shares during the period. 69.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

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.