Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Trading Up 5.1% – Here’s Why

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) shares were up 5.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $139.94 and last traded at $141.45. Approximately 268,721 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 1,058,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.55.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on LDOS shares. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. William Blair downgraded shares of Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.87.

Leidos Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $17.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $140.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $154.74.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.32%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Leidos by 422.2% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. increased its position in shares of Leidos by 143.1% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.