Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 1,128 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 0.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 640,567 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,128 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.48% of Leidos worth $104,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BNC Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at $3,070,000. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. increased its stake in Leidos by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 3,877 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 58,115 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $9,473,000 after acquiring an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Hanlon Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at about $533,000. Finally, Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1.0% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 27,839 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,538,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $1,185,095.52. 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 currently owned by insiders.

Leidos Stock Up 3.0 %

LDOS stock opened at $198.40 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.27 and a twelve month high of $199.11. The firm has a market cap of $26.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a 50 day moving average of $166.61 and a 200 day moving average of $153.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 18.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on LDOS shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.23.

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.