Howard Capital Management Group LLC Has $30.72 Million Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 213,263 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the quarter. Leidos accounts for about 2.1% of Howard Capital Management Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Howard Capital Management Group LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $30,723,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Leidos during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Leidos during the second quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 firm’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 transaction of $535,777.56. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on LDOS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $199.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.07.

Leidos Trading Up 3.5 %

NYSE LDOS opened at $160.60 on Wednesday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.95 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.43 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $156.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $158.16.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its 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 business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.03 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 18.22%.

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.