Moran Wealth Management LLC Buys Shares of 52,029 Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Moran Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 52,029 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,481,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted 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 during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS opened at $162.15 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $169.74 and its 200-day moving average is $155.88. The stock has a market cap of $21.64 billion, a PE ratio of 18.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 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 Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $105.34 and a twelve month high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 17.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LDOS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Truist Financial increased their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen increased 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. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.23.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,185,095.52. The trade was a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was 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 approximately $3,899,594.97. The trade was a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.