Meeder Asset Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 733.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,361 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 65,443 shares during the quarter. Leidos accounts for approximately 0.7% of Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Meeder Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Leidos worth $10,712,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $266,419,000. FMR LLC raised its stake in Leidos by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,405,726 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $392,133,000 after buying an additional 522,764 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,504,392 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $571,216,000 after buying an additional 405,256 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 435.1% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 464,573 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $67,032,000 after buying an additional 377,756 shares during the period. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 151.6% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 548,748 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $79,053,000 after acquiring an additional 330,623 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Leidos Trading Down 1.3 %

Leidos stock opened at $133.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $137.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.65. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.23 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The stock has a market cap of $17.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.50, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th. TD Cowen cut shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued 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 price target of $178.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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