IPO Spotlight: Levi Strauss & Co.

Article Excerpt

LEVI STRAUSS & CO. $24 (New York symbol LEVI; Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 392.5 million; Market cap: $9.4 billion; Dividend yield: 1.2%; Takeover Target Rating: Lowest; www.levistrauss.com) makes denim jeans and related clothing and mainly sells them through chain retailers, department stores and online sites as well as its own name-branded stores. On March 21, 2019, it sold 14.96 million of its class A shares (one vote per share) at $17.00 each. Insiders continue to control the company through their ownership of Class B shares, with 10 votes per share. In its fiscal 2019 first quarter, ended February 24, 2019, Levi’s sales rose 6.8%, to $1.44 billion from $1.34 billion a year earlier. If you disregard the negative impact of currency rates, sales increased 10.7%. The company earned $146.6 million, or $0.37 a share in the quarter. A year earlier, it lost $19.0 million, or $0.05, due to a one-time charge related to the new U.S. tax code. Without unusual items, earnings jumped 81.9%. Levi ended the…