Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Stock Price

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) had its target price decreased by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $19.00 to $18.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the blue-jean maker’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 2.24% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $24.00 price objective on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.30.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of LEVI stock traded up $0.24 on Tuesday, reaching $17.61. 398,088 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,377,378. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $17.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.21. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1-year low of $15.16 and a 1-year high of $24.34.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $74,988.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 104,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,875,204. This represents a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter valued at $27,000. 272 Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 2nd quarter worth $56,000. Matrix Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% during the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 5,507 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,904.1% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 5,137 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 4,966 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co designs, markets, and sells apparels and related accessories for men, women, and children worldwide. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, activewears, tops, shorts, skirts, dresses, jumpsuits, shirts, sweaters, jackets, footwear, and related accessories under the Levi's, Dockers, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co, Denizen, and Beyond Yoga brands.