Principal Securities Inc. Raises Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 50.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 792 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,464 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,800,000 after buying an additional 3,534 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 36.4% in the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 23,941 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,902,000 after acquiring an additional 6,395 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in Leidos by 100.1% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 8,837 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,440,000 after acquiring an additional 4,421 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Leidos by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 55,165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,992,000 after acquiring an additional 9,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,622,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $130.55 on Wednesday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.22 and a 12-month high of $202.90. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $143.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.13, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. Analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LDOS shares. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. William Blair lowered Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Six equities 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.27.

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.