Heartland Advisors Inc. Has $13.52 Million Stock Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Heartland Advisors Inc. decreased its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 17.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,879 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 19,584 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned 0.07% of Leidos worth $13,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Mather Group LLC. grew its position in Leidos by 143.1% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE LDOS opened at $135.76 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.23 and a twelve month high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market cap of $17.41 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $137.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.78.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 17.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.07.

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.