Virtu Financial LLC Takes Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,789 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,136,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 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 valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in Leidos by 122.5% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LDOS shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Leidos from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America increased 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. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,248,605.92. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $153.82 on Thursday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $89.22 and a 12-month high of $159.10. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $150.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $20.80 billion, a PE ratio of 66.30, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.70.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 28.40% and a net margin of 2.72%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.80 EPS. Analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.52%.

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.