Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target Cut to $205.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price objective cut by Wells Fargo & Company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on LDOS. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.77.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS opened at $166.04 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $170.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos has a 52 week low of $105.52 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.22%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. The trade was a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position 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 period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Leidos during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Leidos during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Leidos during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 251.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.