Topic: How To Invest

Q: Since the Levi Strauss IPO in late March, I have seen the stock rise from $17 per share to just under $24 per share. The stock has fallen back a bit, but it is still up nearly 30% from the initial IPO price. What is your opinion of it, Pat? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

A: Levi Strauss & Co., $22.19, symbol LEVI on New York, (Shares outstanding: 392.5 million; Market cap: $8.7 billion; 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. Levi Strauss is a 165-year-old firm and the inventor of blue jeans. Bavarian-born, dry goods businessman Levi Strauss teamed with tailor Jacob Davis in 1873 to secure a U.S. patent putting rivets on men’s work pants, a process that ensured greater durability. Although denim pants had been around for some time, the patent created the “blue jean.” Today, the company sells its apparel through its own name-branded stores, chain retailers, department stores and online sites. It operates around 3,000 name-brand stores worldwide. In addition to the Levi’s brand, the company owns Signature by Levi Strauss, Denizen, and Dockers brands. It is, in fact, the top global jeans brand by total retail sales. Levi Strauss relaunched its Levi’s women’s…