LEVI received two price-target cuts from Citigroup and UBS to $27 and $34, respectively
Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) is down 3.4% to trade at $18.75 at last check, brushing off better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter earnings and revenue. The retailer attributed the upbeat results to stronger demand, higher prices, and fewer promotions. However, the security earlier received two price-target cuts from Citigroup and UBS to $27 and $34, respectively.
The stock has been trending lower on the charts over the last few months, culminating in a March 8, annual low of $17.40. While shares have since bounced off that level, its late March rally lost steam at the 60-day moving average. Year-over-year, LEVI is down 23.9%.
Despite the deficit, all six of the brokerages in coverage rate the stock a "buy" or better. Further, LEVI's consensus 12-month price target of $30.92 is a 67% premium to its current perch. In other words, the two bear notes today could be just the beginning for Levi stock.
While calls still outnumber puts on an overall basis, there's been an uptick of bearish activity in LEVI's options pits. This is per the stock's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 0.49 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which sits higher than 89% of readings from the past year. In other words, puts have been getting picked up at quicker-than-usual pace.
Today's options pits are humming with activity. So far, 3,576 calls and 1,893 puts have already exchanged hands, which is 10 times what is typically seen at this point. Most popular is the April 20 strike call, followed by the 17 put in the same monthly series.