Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Lowers Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 1.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,568 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,688,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LDOS. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Leidos by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 74,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,082,000 after acquiring an additional 11,576 shares during the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter worth about $2,512,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA increased its position in Leidos by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 166,069 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $21,770,000 after purchasing an additional 7,703 shares in the last quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,900,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Leidos by 97.2% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,904 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,692,000 after buying an additional 6,360 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS opened at $152.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.21. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.22 and a 1-year high of $159.10. The company has a 50-day moving average of $149.72 and a 200-day moving average of $140.94. The company has a market capitalization of $20.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.90, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.69.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.36. Leidos had a return on equity of 28.40% and a net margin of 2.72%. The company had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on LDOS shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.08.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the 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 sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $145.04 per share, with a total value of $248,308.48. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

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.