Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Shares Gap Up Following Strong Earnings

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $142.77, but opened at $147.51. Leidos shares last traded at $137.70, with a volume of 352,022 shares.

The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LDOS shares. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup boosted 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. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $199.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 27.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,405,726 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $392,133,000 after acquiring an additional 522,764 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Leidos by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,504,392 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $571,216,000 after purchasing an additional 405,256 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Leidos by 435.1% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 464,573 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $67,032,000 after purchasing an additional 377,756 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Leidos by 24,194.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 377,047 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $61,459,000 after buying an additional 375,495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 151.6% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 548,748 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $79,053,000 after buying an additional 330,623 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Price Performance

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 fifty day moving average price is $149.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.65, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.66.

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.