Levi Strauss Enters the Market With a Bang

Levi Strauss entered the market with a bang, launched at just over $22, well above its initial pricing.

Published March 21, 2019, 12:00pm ET · 2 min read

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Levi Strauss & Co (NYSE: LEVI) entered the market with a bang in its initial public offering (IPO). The stock launched at just over $22, well above its initial pricing at $17. The company originally expected to price its 36.67 million shares in the range of $14 to $16.

The underwriters for the offering are Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Evercore ISI, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Guggenheim Securities, HSBC, Drexel Hamilton, Telsey Advisory Group and Williams Capital Group.

This company designs, markets and sells products that include jeans, casual and dress pants, tops, shorts, skirts, jackets, footwear and related accessories for men, women and children around the world under the Levi’s, Dockers, Signature by Levi Strauss and Denizen brands. With $5.6 billion in net revenues and sales in more than 110 countries in fiscal year 2018, this is one of the world’s leading apparel companies, with the Levi’s brand having the highest brand awareness in the denim bottoms category globally.

The business is operated through three geographic regions that comprise its reporting segments: 1) the Americas, 2) Europe and 3) Asia, which includes the Middle East and Africa. Levi Strauss services consumers through its global infrastructure, developing, sourcing and marketing products around the world. The Americas, Europe and Asia segments contributed 55%, 29% and 16%, respectively, of net revenues in fiscal year 2018.

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Levi Strauss detailed its finances as follows:

Net revenues have grown from $4.8 billion in fiscal year 2011 to $5.6 billion in fiscal year 2018, representing a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 2.3%. Net income has grown from $135 million in fiscal year 2011 to $285 million in fiscal year 2018, representing a CAGR of 11.3%.

The company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering to increase financial flexibility, for working capital and for general corporate purposes.

Shares of Levi Strauss were last seen up over 34% at $22.86, in a range of $22.00 to $23.15 for the day thus far. Also, over 27 million shares had moved as of noon Eastern.

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Chris Lange

Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.

His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.

When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.

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