Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target to $205.00

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

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen upped their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.77.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $163.97 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $171.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.67. Leidos has a 52 week low of $105.52 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The stock has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Leidos will post 10.04 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 17.31%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,899,594.97. The trade was a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Leidos in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Leidos during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Leidos during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% 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.