State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Sells 22,643 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 32.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,295 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 22,643 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Leidos were worth $6,899,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 122.5% during the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $155.50 on Monday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $89.22 and a 52 week high of $159.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.95 billion, a PE ratio of 67.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $150.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.16.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell acquired 1,712 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 22,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total value of $153,798.57. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,248,605.92. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LDOS shares. Bank of America raised their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial raised their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Leidos from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.08.

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.