Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Short Interest Down 12.3% in September

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,420,000 shares, a drop of 12.3% from the September 15th total of 1,620,000 shares. Approximately 1.1% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 829,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on LDOS shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America raised their price objective on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $166.92.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the business’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 sale, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,082,689.65. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,241.28. This trade represents 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 corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in Leidos by 122.5% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the second quarter valued at about $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE LDOS traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $168.07. 610,968 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 853,999. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $156.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $147.32. Leidos has a 12 month low of $90.30 and a 12 month high of $170.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS 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 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 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 8.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.52%.

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.