GW&K Investment Management LLC Invests $39.32 Million in Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

GW&K Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,687,636 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock, valued at approximately $39,322,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter valued at $241,000. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 68.2% in the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 65,256 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $1,520,000 after purchasing an additional 26,469 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 76.7% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 46,300 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $1,079,000 after purchasing an additional 20,100 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 260.5% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,121 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M. Kulyk & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 4,921.3% in the third quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 524,975 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $12,232,000 after buying an additional 514,520 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP David Jedrzejek sold 7,093 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.38, for a total transaction of $151,648.34. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 98,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,099,366.34. This trade represents a 6.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jason Gowans sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total transaction of $873,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 92,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,012,704.17. This represents a 30.26% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 49,341 shares of company stock valued at $1,068,909 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LEVI has been the topic of several research reports. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $26.00 target price for the company. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Levi Strauss & Co. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $26.69.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE LEVI opened at $20.29 on Friday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $12.17 and a fifty-two week high of $24.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.64.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.20% and a return on equity of 25.08%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.50 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.400-1.460 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.36%.

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.