Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Strong-Buy”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Leidos from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. TheStreet raised Leidos from a c rating to a b rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Argus boosted their price target on Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Leidos from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $132.42.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $123.76 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $16.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 87.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $126.55 and its 200-day moving average is $112.19. Leidos has a 1-year low of $76.58 and a 1-year high of $131.50.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.25. Leidos had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 1.29%. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 107.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Leidos news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total value of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 548.8% during the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 266 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 209.0% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.