Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Makes New $278,000 Investment in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 16,063 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock, valued at approximately $278,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jensen Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 213,270 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $3,690,000 after purchasing an additional 12,300 shares during the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 54,892 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $950,000 after purchasing an additional 5,665 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 52.5% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 16,969 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $294,000 after purchasing an additional 5,842 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 388.8% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 80,126 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $1,386,000 after purchasing an additional 63,734 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,450,000. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 4.0 %

Shares of LEVI stock opened at $15.79 on Wednesday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1 year low of $15.51 and a 1 year high of $24.34. The stock has a market cap of $6.25 billion, a PE ratio of 30.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s fifty day moving average is $17.68 and its 200-day moving average is $18.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly 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%. Equities analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group cut their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays cut their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup cut their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.27.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 104,178 shares in the company, valued at $1,875,204. The trade was a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.