Insider Selling: Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Major Shareholder Sells $76,368.00 in Stock

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) major shareholder Robert Haas sold 3,182 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.00, for a total transaction of $76,368.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEVI opened at $24.02 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $9.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.30, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.34. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52 week low of $16.50 and a 52 week high of $24.82. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $22.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.33.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LEVI. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,839,861 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $89,489,000 after purchasing an additional 3,979,223 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 123,970.4% during the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,163,649 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $58,496,000 after purchasing an additional 3,166,203 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,322,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $24,799,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $88,014,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296,474 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LEVI. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Thirteen 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.com, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $26.79.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company 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.