Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Short Interest Up 10.2% in December

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,710,000 shares, an increase of 10.2% from the December 15th total of 5,180,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,830,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LEVI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.50.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE LEVI traded down $0.21 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $17.37. 1,397,789 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,136,090. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.22. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $15.10 and a twelve month high of $24.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.70, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.16.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $74,988.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 104,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,875,204. This represents a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $380,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 228,913 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $4,413,000 after purchasing an additional 17,889 shares during the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 2nd quarter valued at $281,000. Lombard Odier Asset Management USA Corp increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management USA Corp now owns 54,765 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $1,056,000 after buying an additional 3,204 shares during the period. Finally, Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the second quarter worth $3,219,000. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

Levi Strauss & Co designs, markets, and sells apparels and related accessories for men, women, and children worldwide. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, activewears, tops, shorts, skirts, dresses, jumpsuits, shirts, sweaters, jackets, footwear, and related accessories under the Levi's, Dockers, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co, Denizen, and Beyond Yoga brands.