Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $15.45 and last traded at $15.46, with a volume of 752627 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. Citigroup reduced 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 17th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 1.7 %

The firm has a market cap of $6.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50-day moving average is $17.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.84. 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 EPS for the quarter, beating 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. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the business’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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,844,221.28. The trade was a 4.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $82,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its position 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 worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 4,966 shares during the period. Finally, Matrix Trust Co boosted its stake in 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. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.