What is William Blair’s Forecast for Leidos FY2024 Earnings?

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) – William Blair lifted their FY2024 EPS estimates for Leidos in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, October 29th. William Blair analyst L. Dipalma now anticipates that the aerospace company will earn $9.98 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $8.84. The consensus estimate for Leidos’ current full-year earnings is $9.90 per share.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.77.

Leidos Stock Down 0.1 %

LDOS stock opened at $182.97 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.41 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.70. Leidos has a 12 month low of $100.17 and a 12 month high of $188.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.31%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in Leidos by 100.1% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 8,837 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,440,000 after purchasing an additional 4,421 shares in the last quarter. Acorn Financial Advisory Services Inc. ADV acquired a new position in Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth $228,000. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth about $525,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, Summit Global Investments increased its position in shares of Leidos by 124.5% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 20,403 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,326,000 after purchasing an additional 11,313 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.