Metis Global Partners LLC Purchases 2,161 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Metis Global Partners LLC increased its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 51.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,358 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,161 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,036,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 40,026 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,247,000 after acquiring an additional 2,390 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Leidos by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,862 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,031,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at $261,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at $222,000. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at $232,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $160.65 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $169.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.63 and a 12-month high of $202.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued 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 yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 17.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LDOS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $191.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.