Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Lifted to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

LDOS has been the topic of a number of other reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Leidos from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Truist Financial reiterated a buy rating and issued a $165.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Leidos in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Bank of America raised their price objective on Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Argus boosted their target price on Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $145.67.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $142.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $19.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.57, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos has a 12 month low of $76.58 and a 12 month high of $144.17. The company’s 50 day moving average is $129.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. Leidos had a net margin of 2.04% and a return on equity of 25.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.47 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total value of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at $1,879,471.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 24,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,172,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of Leidos by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 31,662 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,427,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 10,858 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management raised its holdings in Leidos by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 5,756 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in Leidos by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 5,378 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $582,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.