Oak Thistle LLC Makes New Investment in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,044 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $399,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 209.0% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 875 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.67, for a total value of $131,836.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 44,149 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,651,929.83. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $145.56 on Tuesday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.61 and a 52 week high of $151.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $143.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.72. The stock has a market cap of $19.68 billion, a PE ratio of 62.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 2.04% and a return on equity of 25.66%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 14th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 65.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on LDOS shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Leidos from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $146.08.

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.