Securian Asset Management Inc. Trims Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Securian Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 3.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,773 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 311 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,923,663 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $532,937,000 after purchasing an additional 39,174 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Leidos by 5.8% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,430,264 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $449,592,000 after acquiring an additional 188,458 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth $202,191,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Leidos by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,841,723 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $199,344,000 after acquiring an additional 45,079 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Leidos by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,185,694 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $128,340,000 after buying an additional 24,041 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS traded up $1.18 on Monday, hitting $145.39. The stock had a trading volume of 403,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 897,233. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $89.22 and a 52-week high of $155.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $19.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $146.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.97.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 28.40% and a net margin of 2.72%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.80 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total value of $153,798.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $145.04 per share, with a total value of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,248,605.92. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at $1,082,689.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LDOS shares. StockNews.com upgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.25.

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.