Levi Strauss & Co (NYSE:LEVI) shares are dropping Wednesday. The company is set to announce its third-quarter earnings after the market close.
Levi will report after the closing bell today. Benzinga Pro data shows Wall Street forecasting earnings of 36 cents per share and sales of $1.62 billion. A beat on both measures could give Levi shares a lift, since the stock is trading lower into the report. A miss on either figure could add to the pressure.
Levi posted earnings of 28 cents per share and roughly $1.56 billion in sales the second quarter. The company topped both forecasts last quarter and raised its full-year outlook. Another beat paired with a higher outlook could repeat that pattern.
Jefferies analyst Blake Anderson maintained a Buy rating on Oct. 1 and lowered the firm’s price target to $25 from $27, according to Benzinga Pro. Citigroup also maintained a Neutral rating and cut its target to $22 the day before.
The company announced on Sept. 30 that John Vandemore was appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Nov. 1.
Levi’s 50-day moving average fell below its 200-day moving average on Oct. 1, a setup technicians often view as a sign the longer-term trend structure has weakened.
At current levels, the stock is below its 20-day ($19.90), 50-day ($21.37) and 200-day ($21.75) moving averages, pointing to a downtrend across short-, medium- and longer-term timeframes. Shares are sitting between support at $19.50 and resistance at $22.00, with Wednesday’s drop pressing toward that nearby support level.
LEVI Price Action: Levi shares were down 4.14% at $19.68 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro.
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