Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Leidos in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.27.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $131.47 on Thursday. Leidos has a fifty-two week low of $122.76 and a fifty-two week high of $202.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $145.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $17.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. On average, analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,464 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,800,000 after acquiring an additional 3,534 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 36.4% in the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 23,941 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,902,000 after acquiring an additional 6,395 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 100.1% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 8,837 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,440,000 after acquiring an additional 4,421 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 21.4% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 55,165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,992,000 after acquiring an additional 9,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,622,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.