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

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on LDOS. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of 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 upgraded Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.07.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $133.50 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.45, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. Leidos has a one year low of $123.23 and a one year high of $202.90. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $135.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21.

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

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This trade represents a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. D.A. Davidson & CO. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the third quarter valued at $230,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in shares of Leidos by 4.7% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 6,657 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,085,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the third quarter valued at $4,622,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 24.3% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074 shares during the period. Finally, Ascent Group LLC increased its stake in Leidos by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 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.