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

Meridian Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,658 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $270,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $272,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 16,288 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,763,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth $303,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Leidos during the first quarter worth $71,000. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank grew its position in Leidos by 6.0% in the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 2,701 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LDOS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Truist Financial increased 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. Citigroup raised their price target on Leidos from $169.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Leidos from $172.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.92.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,241.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total value of $153,798.57. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,082,689.65. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Leidos Stock Up 0.7 %

LDOS stock opened at $169.51 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $90.30 and a fifty-two week high of $170.08. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $22.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.14, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $157.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $147.88.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.36. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The business had revenue of $4.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Leidos’s payout ratio is 47.65%.

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.