Pure Financial Advisors LLC Buys 3,840 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Pure Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 26,980 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,840 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $3,887,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Leidos by 1,460.0% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the third quarter worth about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the third quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $155.19 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.10. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $107.73 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The company has a market cap of $20.71 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued 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 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LDOS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group started coverage on Leidos in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $182.00 price target for the company. Finally, TD Cowen lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Five 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total value of $535,777.56. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Leidos 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.