BNP Paribas Financial Markets Grows Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 234,351 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 38,140 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Leidos were worth $38,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Leidos by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc lifted its position in Leidos by 6.5% during the second quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 1,141 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. boosted its stake in Leidos by 3.2% during the third quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. now owns 2,280 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $372,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co grew its holdings in Leidos by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 2,429 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $396,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Apella Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 11,366 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,878,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Leidos Price Performance

Leidos stock opened at $163.97 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $171.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.67. The firm has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a PE ratio of 18.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 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. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $105.52 and a 52-week high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. Leidos’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 17.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. This represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer bought 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on LDOS shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.77.

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.