Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Price Target Lowered to $20.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) had its price objective lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $25.00 to $20.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the blue-jean maker’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on 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. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Levi Strauss & Co. from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $19.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.45.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 7.3 %

Shares of NYSE LEVI opened at $12.52 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.07, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $16.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $12.33 and a 52-week high of $24.34.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.10. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 25.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 24th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.16%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is 58.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 100,012 shares in the company, valued at $1,844,221.28. This trade represents a 4.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,000. Matrix Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $105,000. 69.14% of the stock is owned by 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.