Magnetar Financial LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Magnetar Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 31.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,046 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 4,540 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $2,778,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Leidos in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 251.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings in Leidos by 122.5% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos in the second quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos in the first quarter worth about $64,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Leidos Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $159.66 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $151.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.59 billion, a PE ratio of 68.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.70. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.22 and a 1-year high of $160.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The company’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. 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 (DPR) is 65.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LDOS. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus raised 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. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.08.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total value of $153,798.57. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell purchased 1,712 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now 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 owned by corporate insiders.

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.