Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $145.00 to $160.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Leidos traded as high as $144.17 and last traded at $143.79, with a volume of 87775 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $142.62.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on LDOS. Argus increased their target price on Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. TheStreet raised shares of Leidos from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Leidos from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in Leidos by 209.0% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $19.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $129.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $116.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.59. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 2.04% and a return on equity of 25.66%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.47 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.52%.

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.