Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Reaches New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $145.00 to $160.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Leidos traded as high as $144.17 and last traded at $143.79, with a volume of 87775 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.62.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Leidos from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,923,663 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $532,937,000 after buying an additional 39,174 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Leidos by 6.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,660,386 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $429,501,000 after acquiring an additional 272,090 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 5.9% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,044,206 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $280,554,000 after acquiring an additional 169,351 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter worth about $202,191,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Leidos by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,841,723 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $199,344,000 after purchasing an additional 45,079 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Up 0.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $19.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $129.78 and its 200-day moving average is $116.23.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted 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 net margin of 2.04% and a return on equity of 25.66%. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 65.52%.

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.