Morgan Stanley Lowers Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Price Target to $17.00

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) had its price target trimmed by Morgan Stanley from $18.00 to $17.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the blue-jean maker’s stock.

LEVI has been the topic of several other reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays began coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.36.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Up 5.1 %

Shares of NYSE:LEVI opened at $19.01 on Thursday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $15.62 and a 12-month high of $24.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.55, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.16.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 26.00%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $74,988.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 104,178 shares in the company, valued at $1,875,204. This trade represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 3.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 21,690 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 765 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 114,442 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $1,980,000 after purchasing an additional 892 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter worth $27,000. nVerses Capital LLC raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 17.8% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 11,900 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently 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.