Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Has $7.80 Million Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lowered its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,863 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 2,276 shares during the quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec’s holdings in Leidos were worth $7,802,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the third 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 stake in Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $164.13 on Tuesday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $105.52 and a 12-month high of $202.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $171.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $157.06.

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. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. Leidos’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 17.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on LDOS. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Leidos in a research report on Monday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $182.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.36.

Leidos Profile

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.