Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) shares hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $182.22 and last traded at $181.25, with a volume of 193719 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $169.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LDOS. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $172.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $166.92.

Leidos Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $160.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $149.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.92 billion, a PE ratio of 57.90, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.70.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.80 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $145.04 per share, with a total value of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 22,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell purchased 1,712 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 3.5% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc increased its holdings in Leidos by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 1,141 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $166,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. increased its holdings in Leidos by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. now owns 2,280 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Leidos by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Somerset Trust Co increased its holdings in Leidos by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 2,429 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.