Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

LDOS has been the subject of a number of other reports. TD Cowen cut Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.07.

Leidos Trading Down 4.3 %

NYSE:LDOS opened at $133.50 on Thursday. Leidos has a 52-week low of $123.23 and a 52-week high of $202.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.06. The company has a market capitalization of $17.12 billion, a PE ratio of 14.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced 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 net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Leidos will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Leidos by 422.2% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in Leidos by 143.1% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.