Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $187.36.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LDOS. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup upped their price target on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Leidos in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $182.00 target price on the stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LDOS opened at $163.15 on Friday. Leidos has a 52 week low of $105.52 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $171.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.36. The company has a market cap of $21.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.58, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.64. 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 quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Leidos will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 17.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was 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 directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 14.04 % 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 160.0% during the 3rd quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 468 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Leidos by 30.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 346,690 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $58,459,000 after buying an additional 80,642 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in Leidos by 16.7% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,191 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,150,000 after buying an additional 1,883 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the third quarter worth $311,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,395 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $553,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares during the period. 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.