Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Sets New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $15.45 and last traded at $15.68, with a volume of 111940 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $15.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on LEVI shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup decreased 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 research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Up 1.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $17.57 and a 200 day moving average of $17.94.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.88% and a net margin of 3.32%. As a group, analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 100,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,844,221.28. This represents a 4.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. KBC Group NV increased its position in 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 worth $1,980,000 after buying an additional 892 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 54,151 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $937,000 after acquiring an additional 1,283 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 67.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,090 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 2,454 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,103 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 2,998 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

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.