Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Director Gary Stephen May Sells 2,128 Shares

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Leidos Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of LDOS stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $131.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,397,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,466,472. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $17.24 billion, a PE ratio of 14.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s fifty day moving average is $145.79 and its 200 day moving average is $157.13. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.76 and a fifty-two week 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. Research analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.32%.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Leidos by 39.6% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,464 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,800,000 after buying an additional 3,534 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co increased its position in shares of Leidos by 36.4% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 23,941 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,902,000 after acquiring an additional 6,395 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in shares of Leidos by 100.1% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 8,837 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,440,000 after acquiring an additional 4,421 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 21.4% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 55,165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,992,000 after acquiring an additional 9,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Leidos in the third quarter valued at $4,622,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on LDOS. UBS Group cut their price objective on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen cut shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.27.

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.