Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) shares hit a new 52-week low 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 Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LEVI. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target 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. Citigroup cut 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 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $6.33 billion, a PE ratio of 30.61, a P/E/G 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. The company’s 50 day moving average is $17.61 and its 200-day moving average is $17.98.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.44, for a total value of $76,821.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 100,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,844,221.28. The trade was a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,904.1% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 5,137 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 4,966 shares during the period. Finally, Matrix Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% in the 4th quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 5,507 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 4,800 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

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.