Robert W. Baird Increases Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target to $180.00

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price objective boosted by Robert W. Baird from $145.00 to $180.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Barclays upgraded shares of Leidos from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $141.17.

Leidos Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:LDOS opened at $141.67 on Wednesday. Leidos has a 52 week low of $76.58 and a 52 week high of $143.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $19.16 billion, a PE ratio of 61.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $115.38.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.59. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.47 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Leidos will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 65.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following the completion of 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 is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at $1,879,471.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Leidos by 15.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 9,188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares in the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its position in shares of Leidos by 292.2% during the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 9,758 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,279,000 after purchasing an additional 7,270 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 7.5% in the first quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 22,225 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 1,545 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Leidos by 6.9% in the first quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 13,108 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,718,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares during the period. Finally, Vantage Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the first quarter worth $265,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.