Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Purchases 1,677 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,996 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,677 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $2,607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the third quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $164.02 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market capitalization of $21.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $170.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.62. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $105.52 and a twelve month high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. Leidos’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 17.31%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on LDOS shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays lifted their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.77.

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.