Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $176.79.

A number of research firms recently commented on LDOS. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Leidos from $191.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Leidos

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LDOS. D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new position in Leidos in the third quarter valued at about $230,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 6,657 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,085,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,622,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Leidos by 24.3% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC raised its holdings in Leidos by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Up 0.4 %

LDOS opened at $133.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $17.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $135.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $152.58. Leidos has a twelve month low of $123.23 and a twelve month high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

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.