Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Trading Up 4.8% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) rose 4.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $16.44 and last traded at $16.33. Approximately 677,203 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average daily volume of 1,989,886 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LEVI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.80. The company has a market capitalization of $6.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.49, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.88% and a net margin of 3.32%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.44, for a total transaction of $76,821.04. Following the transaction, the director now owns 100,012 shares in the company, valued at $1,844,221.28. This represents a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Matrix Trust Co grew its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% in the 4th quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 5,507 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

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.