Margaret Haas Sells 47,721 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Stock

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) major shareholder Margaret Haas sold 47,721 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total transaction of $1,145,781.21. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE LEVI opened at $24.02 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.24 billion, a PE ratio of 15.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1-year low of $16.50 and a 1-year high of $24.82. The company has a 50-day moving average of $22.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.33.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 25.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LEVI shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $26.79.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Amundi raised its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 73.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 18,828 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $348,000 after acquiring an additional 7,963 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 25.6% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 107,325 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $1,984,000 after acquiring an additional 21,853 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 117.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 358,797 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $6,635,000 after acquiring an additional 193,607 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,636,734 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $30,263,000 after acquiring an additional 114,749 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 66.0% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 16,271 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 6,472 shares during the period. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

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.