Comparing Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) & Lakeland Industries (NASDAQ:LAKE)
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyLakeland Industries (NASDAQ:LAKE – Get Free Report) and Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI – Get Free Report) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability and earnings.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
71.7% of Lakeland Industries shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 69.1% of Levi Strauss & Co. shares are held by institutional investors. 3.4% of Lakeland Industries shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of Levi Strauss & Co. shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Lakeland Industries and Levi Strauss & Co., as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Lakeland Industries | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2.40 |
| Levi Strauss & Co. | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 2.80 |
Lakeland Industries presently has a consensus price target of $15.00, suggesting a potential upside of 44.09%. Levi Strauss & Co. has a consensus price target of $27.43, suggesting a potential upside of 39.32%. Given Lakeland Industries’ higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Lakeland Industries is more favorable than Levi Strauss & Co..
Volatility and Risk
Lakeland Industries has a beta of 1.45, meaning that its share price is 45% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Levi Strauss & Co. has a beta of 1.32, meaning that its share price is 32% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Lakeland Industries and Levi Strauss & Co.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Lakeland Industries | -13.99% | -11.35% | -6.94% |
| Levi Strauss & Co. | 9.66% | 25.79% | 8.61% |
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Lakeland Industries and Levi Strauss & Co.”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Lakeland Industries | $192.65 million | 0.54 | -$25.31 million | ($2.71) | -3.84 |
| Levi Strauss & Co. | $6.28 billion | 1.21 | $578.10 million | $1.62 | 12.15 |
Levi Strauss & Co. has higher revenue and earnings than Lakeland Industries. Lakeland Industries is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Levi Strauss & Co., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Levi Strauss & Co. beats Lakeland Industries on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Lakeland Industries
Lakeland Industries, Inc. manufactures and sells industrial protective clothing and accessories for the industrial and public protective clothing market worldwide. It offers firefighting and heat protective apparel to protect against fire; high-end chemical protective suits to provide protection from highly concentrated, toxic and/or lethal chemicals, and biological toxins; and limited use/disposable protective clothing, such as coveralls, laboratory coats, shirts, pants, hoods, aprons, sleeves, arm guards, caps, and smocks. The company provides durable woven garments, including electrostatic dissipative apparel used in electronics clean rooms; flame resistant meta aramid, para aramid, and FR cotton coveralls/pants/jackets used in petrochemical, refining operations, and electrical utilities; FR fabrics; and cotton and polycotton coveralls, lab coats, pants, and shirts. In addition, it provides high visibility clothing comprising reflective apparel, including vests, T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, coats, raingear, jumpsuits, hats, and gloves; and gloves and sleeves that are used in the automotive, glass, and metal fabrication industries. The company sells its products to a network of safety and industrial supply distributors through in-house sales teams, customer service group, and independent sales representatives. It serves end users, such as integrated oil, chemical/petrochemical, automobile, steel, glass, construction, smelting, cleanroom, janitorial, pharmaceutical, and high technology electronics manufacturers, as well as scientific, medical laboratories, and the utilities industry; and federal, state, and local governmental agencies and departments. Lakeland Industries, Inc. was incorporated in 1982 and is headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama.
About Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. engages in the design, marketing, and sale of apparel products. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, tops, shorts, skirts, jackets, footwear, and related accessories. It operates through the following geographical segments: Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded by Levi Strauss in 1853 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.