Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 1.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 139,048 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 2,680 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.10% of Leidos worth $20,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LDOS. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 74,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,082,000 after purchasing an additional 11,576 shares in the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP acquired a new stake in Leidos in the 1st quarter worth $2,512,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA lifted its position in Leidos by 4.9% in the first quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 166,069 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $21,770,000 after purchasing an additional 7,703 shares during the period. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new stake in Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at $1,900,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Leidos by 97.2% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,904 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,692,000 after purchasing an additional 6,360 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.25.

Leidos Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE LDOS traded up $1.32 on Friday, hitting $154.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 242,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 879,417. The firm has a market cap of $20.83 billion, a PE ratio of 66.06, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.68. The company’s 50-day moving average is $147.46 and its 200 day moving average is $137.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.22 and a 1-year high of $155.45.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.36. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The company had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.52%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $145.04 per share, with a total value of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,248,605.92. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, 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 value of $153,798.57. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell purchased 1,712 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $145.04 per share, with a total value of $248,308.48. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,248,605.92. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos 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.