Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $132.42.

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Argus increased their target price on Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Barclays raised Leidos from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th.

Leidos Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE LDOS opened at $128.77 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $127.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.22. The company has a market capitalization of $17.40 billion, a PE ratio of 90.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 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. Leidos has a 12 month low of $76.58 and a 12 month high of $131.50.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.25. Leidos had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 1.29%. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.83 EPS. Leidos’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Leidos will post 7.77 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 107.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total value of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other 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 transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the director now owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,413,210.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 24,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,172,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 31,662 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,427,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 10,858 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,001,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 5,756 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 5,378 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $582,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 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.