Guggenheim Boosts Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Price Target to $22.00

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) had its target price upped by equities researchers at Guggenheim from $20.00 to $22.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the blue-jean maker’s stock. Guggenheim’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 14.49% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on 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. Five 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, Levi Strauss & Co. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock opened at $19.22 on Monday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $17.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.18. The company has a market cap of $7.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.95, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17. Levi Strauss & Co. has a one year low of $15.62 and a one year high of $24.34.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 100,012 shares in the company, valued at $1,844,221.28. The trade was a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 16,664 shares of company stock worth $301,785. Company insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Matrix Trust Co lifted its stake in 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 worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 4,966 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.