Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Thursday.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Leidos in a report on Friday, February 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.27.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $130.17 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.07 billion, a PE ratio of 14.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos has a 12-month low of $122.76 and a 12-month high of $202.90. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $145.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.95.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued 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, equities analysts predict that Leidos will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

Insider Activity

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 $862,260.48. This trade represents a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 6.3% during the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Axecap Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,886,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Leidos by 24,194.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 377,047 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $61,459,000 after purchasing an additional 375,495 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,879 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $795,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Leidos by 14.5% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,980 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $812,000 after buying an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.