Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Acquires 37,991 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) by 126.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,065 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock after buying an additional 37,991 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $1,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LEVI. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,904.1% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 5,137 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 4,966 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $105,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $115,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 100,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,844,221.28. This represents a 4.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 4.9 %

NYSE LEVI opened at $16.36 on Wednesday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a one year low of $15.42 and a one year high of $24.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.78.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on LEVI shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays cut their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup decreased their target price on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.27.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

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.