Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Raises Position in Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) by 60.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 116,936 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock after buying an additional 44,239 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $2,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 181.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 151,645 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $2,364,000 after acquiring an additional 97,800 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter worth about $224,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at about $241,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.4% during the 1st 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 buying an additional 52,332 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LEVI. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Levi Strauss & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $26.00 target price on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.69.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Levi Strauss & Co. stock opened at $21.92 on Monday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $8.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.33. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1-year low of $12.17 and a 1-year high of $24.82. The company’s 50-day moving average is $21.26 and its 200 day moving average is $21.50.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.08% and a net margin of 9.20%.The business had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.50 earnings per share. The company’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. Research analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Jason Gowans sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total value of $873,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 92,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,012,704.17. This trade represents a 30.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP David Jedrzejek sold 2,248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.60, for a total transaction of $44,060.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 106,818 shares in the company, valued at $2,093,632.80. This represents a 2.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 49,341 shares of company stock valued at $1,068,909 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Profile

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.