Brokerages Set Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) PT at $176.27

Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $176.27.

LDOS has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $132.22 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $17.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $146.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $157.32. Leidos has a twelve month low of $120.98 and a twelve month high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Leidos will post 10.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.22%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % 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.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Leidos by 1,460.0% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.