Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. reduced its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 12.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 146,400 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 20,500 shares during the quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. owned 0.11% of Leidos worth $23,863,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Leidos by 51.2% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 837,370 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $136,491,000 after acquiring an additional 283,558 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new stake in Leidos in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,512,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA lifted its holdings in Leidos by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 166,069 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $21,770,000 after buying an additional 7,703 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 188.2% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 8,274 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,207,000 after buying an additional 5,403 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 97.2% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,904 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,692,000 after buying an additional 6,360 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LDOS shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen increased their target price on Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Leidos from $169.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. 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 company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.08.

Leidos Stock Up 9.5 %

Leidos stock opened at $185.86 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $25.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.26, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $161.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $150.31. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.53 and a 12 month high of $186.88. 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 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 28.40% and a net margin of 2.72%. 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. Equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.65%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,622,241.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, 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. Company 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.