Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Price Target Cut to $16.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) had its price objective reduced by Morgan Stanley from $17.00 to $16.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the blue-jean maker’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 27.85% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on LEVI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Levi Strauss & Co. from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup dropped their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays dropped their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $22.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $19.36.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Levi Strauss & Co. stock opened at $12.52 on Wednesday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $12.15 and a 52-week high of $24.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $16.88 and a 200-day moving average of $17.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.07, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.88% and a net margin of 3.32%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.26 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.44, for a total value of $76,821.04. Following the sale, the director now owns 100,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,844,221.28. The trade was a 4.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LEVI. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $82,000. Matrix Trust Co increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 5,507 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at about $105,000. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

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.