GW&K Investment Management LLC Buys 531,963 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) by 31.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,219,599 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 531,963 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned 0.57% of Levi Strauss & Co. worth $46,034,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LEVI. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 260.5% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,121 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,425 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% in 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 last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter worth $117,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 2,279 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total value of $54,718.79. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 192,451 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.68, for a total value of $4,364,788.68. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 783,154 shares of company stock worth $17,630,460 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LEVI. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, BTIG Research restated 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.79.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock opened at $23.60 on Wednesday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $16.50 and a 52-week high of $24.82. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $21.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.58.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is currently 35.67%.

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.