Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Hits New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $15.45 and last traded at $15.68, with a volume of 111940 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $15.80.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group decreased their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reduced 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, January 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to 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

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $17.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.94. The company has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 104,178 shares in the company, valued at $1,875,204. This trade represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LEVI. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 794,408 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $17,318,000 after purchasing an additional 110,993 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 282.1% in the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 150,793 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $3,287,000 after buying an additional 111,330 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,420,007 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $205,356,000 after buying an additional 2,907,099 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 274.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 33,657 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $734,000 after buying an additional 24,669 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the third quarter valued at $261,000. 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.