Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co Increases Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 98.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,969 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,448 shares during the quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co’s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,292,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LDOS. Quartz Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Quartz Partners LLC now owns 16,373 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,359,000 after purchasing an additional 960 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 347.1% during the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 31,097 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,480,000 after purchasing an additional 24,142 shares during the period. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth $595,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 208.7% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,034 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 699 shares during the period. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 2,471 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Leidos Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:LDOS opened at $130.55 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization 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. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.22 and a 52-week high of $202.90. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.63.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 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, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LDOS has been the subject of several recent research reports. William Blair downgraded Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Leidos in a report on Friday, February 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup raised their target price on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This trade represents a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.