Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock Rating Lowered by The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report report published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has $153.00 target price on the aerospace company’s stock, down from their previous target price of $228.00.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on LDOS. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.00.

Leidos Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE LDOS opened at $153.16 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $170.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.63. The company has a market cap of $20.44 billion, a PE ratio of 17.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.64. Leidos has a 52-week low of $105.52 and a 52-week high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23.

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, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Leidos will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders 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 represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was acquired 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the transaction, the director now 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. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 160.0% in the third quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 468 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 30.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 346,690 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $58,459,000 after acquiring an additional 80,642 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 16.7% in the third 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. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the third quarter valued at $311,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 18.3% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $553,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Company 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.