Insider Selling: Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Director Sells $76,821.04 in Stock

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.44, for a total value of $76,821.04. Following the transaction, the director now owns 100,012 shares in the company, valued at $1,844,221.28. This trade represents a 4.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of LEVI stock opened at $19.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $15.62 and a 12-month high of $24.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $17.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.19.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LEVI. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,904.1% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 5,137 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 4,966 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co increased its position 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 valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $105,000. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LEVI shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group lowered their target price 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. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.27.

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.