Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Stock Breaks Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $21.68 and traded as high as $21.92. Levi Strauss & Co. shares last traded at $21.88, with a volume of 3,453,392 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on LEVI shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.92.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $8.30 billion, a PE ratio of 14.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.63. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.68.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 8.83% and a return on equity of 27.40%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.34 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.540-1.560 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 21st will be given a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 21st. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is 42.67%.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,839,861 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $89,489,000 after acquiring an additional 3,979,223 shares during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 2nd quarter worth about $60,854,000. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at about $24,799,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 74.3% during the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 811,600 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $20,152,000 after purchasing an additional 345,855 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 117.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 358,797 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $6,635,000 after purchasing an additional 193,607 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co (NYSE: LEVI) is an apparel company best known for its Levi’s brand of denim jeans and casualwear. Founded in 1853 by Levi Strauss, the company has developed a broad portfolio of apparel, accessories and footwear designed for consumers worldwide.

The company’s brands include Levi’s, Dockers, Beyond Yoga and Signature by Levi Strauss & Co Its products are sold through company-operated and franchised stores, e-commerce platforms, department stores, specialty retailers and other wholesale channels.

Levi Strauss & Co serves customers across the Americas, Europe and Asia, with operations spanning product design, marketing, distribution and retail.