AlphaQuest LLC Grows Position in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) by 388.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 80,126 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock after buying an additional 63,734 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $1,386,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,420,007 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $205,356,000 after buying an additional 2,907,099 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 59.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,555,382 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $33,907,000 after purchasing an additional 579,460 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,541,784 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,858,000 after purchasing an additional 840,251 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 1.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,230,069 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,816,000 after purchasing an additional 20,426 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 1.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,123,957 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $24,512,000 after purchasing an additional 20,870 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of LEVI opened at $16.42 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $17.88 and its 200 day moving average is $18.15. The company has a market capitalization of $6.50 billion, a PE ratio of 31.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $15.62 and a 12-month high of $24.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.88% and a net margin of 3.32%. Research analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $74,988.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 104,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,875,204. The trade was a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 3.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on LEVI shares. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

Levi Strauss & Co engages in the design, marketing, and sale of apparel products. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, tops, shorts, skirts, jackets, footwear, and related accessories. It operates through the following geographical segments: Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded by Levi Strauss in 1853 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.