StockNews.com Downgrades Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) to Buy

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays boosted 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.27.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $130.50 on Wednesday. Leidos has a 52 week low of $119.31 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $148.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.48. The company has a market capitalization of $17.41 billion, a PE ratio of 14.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. As a group, analysts expect that Leidos will post 10.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.