Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Sets New 1-Year High at $159.37

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $159.37 and last traded at $159.25, with a volume of 212141 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $157.06.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LDOS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America raised their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report 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 report on Wednesday, July 31st. TD Cowen upped their price target on Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Two research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.08.

Leidos Stock Up 1.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $21.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.86, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $151.25 and its 200 day moving average is $143.09.

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

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the business’s 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 directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 22,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,248,605.92. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Key Financial Inc increased its position in Leidos by 6.5% during the second quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 1,141 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co raised its stake in Leidos by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 2,346 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,569 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its position in Leidos by 0.5% during the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 24,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,172,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.