Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. William Blair lowered Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.27.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS opened at $130.55 on Tuesday. Leidos has a fifty-two week low of $123.22 and a fifty-two week high of $202.90. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $143.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $17.12 billion, a PE ratio of 14.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. Sell-side analysts expect that Leidos will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter worth $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.