Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $191.23.

Several analysts have commented on LDOS shares. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Leidos Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of LDOS opened at $186.32 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.22, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos has a twelve month low of $102.21 and a twelve month high of $188.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $152.00.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 10.07 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 18.22%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in Leidos by 122.5% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 169 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.