Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Trims Stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,705,221 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 37,489 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.26% of Leidos worth $248,779,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in shares of Leidos by 122.5% during the second 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 period. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth about $60,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Leidos from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.08.

Insider Activity at Leidos

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

Leidos Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $153.82 on Thursday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $89.22 and a 52-week high of $159.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $150.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.62. 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 company has a market cap of $20.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.30, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.70.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.52%.

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.