Aristides Capital LLC Grows Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Aristides Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 28.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 3,062 shares during the quarter. Leidos accounts for approximately 0.6% of Aristides Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Aristides Capital LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $2,042,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LDOS. Advisory Alpha LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the second quarter worth approximately $214,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in Leidos by 104.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 28,010 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,086,000 after purchasing an additional 14,343 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 43.4% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 18,542 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,705,000 after purchasing an additional 5,609 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the second quarter valued at $213,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the second quarter worth about $5,368,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS opened at $163.00 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.04 billion, a PE ratio of 70.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s 50-day moving average is $152.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.42. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $89.22 and a 1 year high of $163.27. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.36. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. 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 previous year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. Leidos’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. 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. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. 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 MarketBeat, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.08.

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.