Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target Raised to $175.00

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price objective boosted by Truist Financial from $165.00 to $175.00 in a report published on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on LDOS. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays boosted their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $163.08.

Leidos Trading Down 1.9 %

LDOS opened at $152.85 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.88, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.06. Leidos has a one year low of $89.22 and a one year high of $159.10.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.36. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The firm had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Leidos will post 8.95 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total value of $153,798.57. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,082,689.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,082,689.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell purchased 1,712 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,248,605.92. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of Leidos by 122.5% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.