Acorn Financial Advisory Services Inc. ADV Purchases Shares of 1,398 Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Acorn Financial Advisory Services Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,398 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $228,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Leidos in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Leidos in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Leidos by 251.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in Leidos by 122.5% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,185,095.52. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,622,241.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Leidos Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of LDOS traded up $5.79 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $198.42. 923,187 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 861,970. The firm has a market cap of $26.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $102.27 and a 12-month high of $199.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $166.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.53.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 18.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on LDOS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $191.23.

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.