Raymond James Financial Inc. Invests $2.45 Million in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 141,604 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock, valued at approximately $2,450,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 946,998 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $16,383,000 after buying an additional 152,590 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $832,000. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at $511,000. Maverick Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,222,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at $1,415,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Levi Strauss & Co. stock opened at $15.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.22 billion, a PE ratio of 30.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $17.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.84. Levi Strauss & Co. has a one year low of $15.44 and a one year high of $24.34.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly 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, research analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays decreased their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Levi Strauss & Co. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.27.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. 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.