abrdn plc Has $6.09 Million Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

abrdn plc increased its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 72.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,234 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,638 shares during the period. abrdn plc’s holdings in Leidos were worth $6,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS opened at $130.36 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.58 and a 12-month high of $131.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $127.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $17.62 billion, a PE ratio of 91.80, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.70.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 1.29%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.83 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Leidos’s payout ratio is 107.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays upgraded Leidos from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Leidos from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.42.

Leidos 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.