Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Receives $178.07 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $178.07.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. William Blair downgraded Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, 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 transaction of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Leidos during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 422.2% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 143.1% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Leidos Stock Performance

Leidos stock opened at $133.50 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $17.12 billion, a PE ratio of 14.45, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Leidos has a 1 year low of $123.23 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The company’s 50-day moving average is $135.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.04.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

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.