Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Increases Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 30,367 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 1,262 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Leidos were worth $4,950,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LDOS. CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at $247,000. Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 140,560 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $22,911,000 after buying an additional 12,584 shares during the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 15.0% during the third quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,696 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Leidos by 19.4% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 234,351 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,199,000 after buying an additional 38,140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Leidos in the third quarter worth about $95,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Leidos

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LDOS. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $182.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.36.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $164.13 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $171.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $157.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.90 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $105.52 and a 1 year high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business 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 $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 17.31%.

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.