Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Strong-Buy”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Leidos from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Leidos from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Argus increased their target price on Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $132.42.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $123.76 on Thursday. Leidos has a one year low of $76.58 and a one year high of $131.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $126.55 and a 200 day moving average of $112.19. The company has a market capitalization of $16.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.16, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.34.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.25. Leidos had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 1.29%. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.83 EPS. Leidos’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Leidos will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 107.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at $1,879,471.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 548.8% in the fourth quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 266 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Leidos

Leidos Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides services and solutions in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Defense Solutions, Civil, and Health segments. The Defense Solutions segment offers national security solutions and systems for air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace for the U.S.