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Levi Strauss hikes dividend as second-quarter profits exceed expectancies

An indication is posted in entrance of the Levi Strauss & Co. headquarters on April 09, 2021 in San Francisco, California.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures

Levi Strauss on Thursday reported quarterly earnings and profits that got here in above Wall Boulevard expectancies, because the clothes corporate identified for its denim mentioned it benefitted from American citizens choosing extra at ease get dressed codes.

The San Francisco corporate greater its quarterly dividend and stood through its steering for the yr. Its stocks had been up about 4% at $17.08 in after-hours buying and selling.

Here is how Levi carried out for the quarter finishing Would possibly 29 in comparison to Wall Boulevard estimates in accordance with a survey of analysists through Refinitiv.

Income: $1.47 billion vs. $1.43 billion expectedEarnings in line with proportion: 29 cents adjusted vs. 23 cents anticipated

Levi Straus mentioned its upper earnings within the quarter used to be fueled through each more potent direct-to-consumer and wholesale gross sales. It mentioned virtual earnings rose 3% globally and accounted for 20% of gross sales within the quarter.

“Denims at the moment are a lot more appropriate within the administrative center,” CEO Chip Bergh informed CNBC in an interview.

The store did monitor mid-single-digit declines from a yr in the past at its two worth denim manufacturers, which promote at Goal, Walmart and Amazon and make up a small share of the corporate’s general trade, Bergh mentioned.

“So there may be some proof that the extra worth mindful person — the decrease source of revenue person — is beginning to really feel the squeeze and is beginning to make some possible choices,” he mentioned.

However he mentioned the declines had been greater than offset through the corporate’s core trade.

Levi’s earnings of $1.47 billion for the quarter used to be up 15% from the $1.27 billion the corporate reported within the year-ago length. Analysts anticipated $1.43 billion.

Gross sales grew through 17% within the Americas, 3% in Europe and 16% in Asia in comparison to 2021. Levi’s different manufacturers, Dockers and Past Yoga, noticed an building up of 56% in comparison to ultimate yr.

The corporate’s promoting, basic and administrative bills had been $779 million within the quarter, upper than the $644 million ultimate yr. The corporate attributed the rise to the war in Ukraine.

For the quarter, the corporate reported a web source of revenue of $49.7 million, or 12 cents a proportion, when compared $64.7 million, or 16 cents a proportion, within the year-ago length. On an adjusted foundation, the corporate mentioned it earned 29 cents a proportion in the latest quarter, which used to be greater than the 23 cents in line with proportion Wall Boulevard anticipated.

For the full-year, the corporate stood through its steering for earnings to develop 11% to 13% from a yr in the past. It nonetheless expects adjusted profits of $1.50 to $1.56 in line with proportion.

The corporate hiked its quarterly dividend to twelve cents a proportion, up from 10 cents a proportion.

Harmit Singh, Levi’s leader monetary officer, informed CNBC that the corporate determined to reaffirm its fiscal 2022 outlook however to extend its dividend given the lingering results at the conflict in a foreign country, the possible slowdown of the price mindful person, endured Covid lockdowns in China and foreign money adjustments.

Learn the corporate’s profits unlock right here.

CNBC’s Lauren Thomas contributed to this file.