Plato Investment Management Ltd Acquires 285 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,410 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Leidos were worth $927,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in Leidos by 143.1% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS opened at $129.17 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $16.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.98, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50 day moving average is $142.27 and its 200 day moving average is $156.17. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.22 and a 12-month high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 17.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LDOS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. William Blair lowered shares of Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.87.

About Leidos

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.