Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Increases Position in Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) by 131.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 77,256 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock after buying an additional 43,936 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd’s holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $1,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LEVI. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 181.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 151,645 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $2,364,000 after purchasing an additional 97,800 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter worth approximately $224,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,286 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,879 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter worth approximately $241,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,597,687 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $24,908,000 after purchasing an additional 52,332 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LEVI shares. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $26.79.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

LEVI opened at $24.02 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.33. The firm has a market cap of $9.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.34. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $16.50 and a twelve month high of $24.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 25.35%. The business’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.38 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.67%.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 47,721 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total transaction of $1,145,781.21. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 488,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.11, for a total transaction of $11,786,197.61. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,468,570 shares of company stock valued at $34,136,152. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co is a global apparel company best known for its denim jeans and casual wear. Founded in 1853 in San Francisco by Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss, the company pioneered the modern blue jean with the introduction of rivet-reinforced work pants. Over its more than 160-year history, Levi Strauss has evolved into a lifestyle brand, offering a broad portfolio that includes denim for men, women and children, as well as tops, outerwear, footwear and accessories.

The company’s flagship label, Levi’s®, is recognized worldwide for its iconic styles such as the 501® Original Fit Jeans, while additional brands, including Dockers®, Target core metric, and Denizen® by Levi’s, cater to diverse price points and consumer segments.