Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $182.00.

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their price target on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group began coverage on Leidos in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $182.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial dropped their target price 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. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other news, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the business’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 transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Leidos by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,504,392 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $571,216,000 after acquiring an additional 405,256 shares during the period. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 160.0% during the 3rd quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 468 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 30.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 346,690 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $58,459,000 after buying an additional 80,642 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Leidos by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,191 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,150,000 after acquiring an additional 1,883 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth approximately $311,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Leidos Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:LDOS opened at $144.49 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.46, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.64. Leidos has a 1-year low of $106.38 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $166.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $157.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Leidos will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 18.22%.

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.