RiverFront Investment Group LLC Buys New Shares in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

RiverFront Investment Group LLC bought a new position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 4,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $584,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd 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 period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in Leidos by 122.5% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Leidos by 257.7% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of Leidos 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at $1,082,689.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on LDOS shares. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.00.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $165.01 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $152.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.68. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $89.22 and a fifty-two week high of $165.49. The company has a market cap of $22.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 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.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 65.52%.

Leidos 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.