Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Stock Price Down 3.9% – Time to Sell?

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) shares traded down 3.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $20.90 and last traded at $20.8650. 330,070 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 2,657,131 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.72.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LEVI has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.43.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $23.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.24 billion, a PE ratio of 13.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.60.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.04. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.79% and a net margin of 9.66%.The company had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.22 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd were issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 22nd. This is an increase from Levi Strauss & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 47,721 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total transaction of $1,145,781.21. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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. Also, major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 488,851 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.11, for a total transaction of $11,786,197.61. 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 ninety days, insiders sold 783,560 shares of company stock worth $18,882,739. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 342,009 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,839,861 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $89,489,000 after acquiring an additional 3,979,223 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,296,474 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 294,053 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,316.8% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,593,816 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $64,404,000 after purchasing an additional 2,486,491 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.