Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target Lowered to $185.00 at Truist Financial

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its target price cut by Truist Financial from $205.00 to $185.00 in a research report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup upped their price target on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.69.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS opened at $163.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos has a fifty-two week low of $105.52 and a fifty-two week high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business’s 50-day moving average is $170.53 and its 200-day moving average is $156.44.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Leidos will post 10.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.22%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other news, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 95.8% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,074 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,583,000 after buying an additional 5,906 shares in the last quarter. Natixis acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the first quarter worth $170,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 97.2% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,904 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,692,000 after buying an additional 6,360 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 2.1% during the first quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 80,188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $10,512,000 after buying an additional 1,652 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in Leidos by 65.5% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 184,700 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $24,212,000 after purchasing an additional 73,100 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.