Gabelli Funds LLC Takes Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Gabelli Funds LLC purchased a new position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,430 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $209,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Prospector Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Prospector Partners LLC now owns 218,595 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $31,889,000 after purchasing an additional 1,292 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 28,554 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,453 shares in the last quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 52.5% in the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 104,509 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $15,246,000 after acquiring an additional 35,990 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 301.6% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 83,351 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $12,159,000 after acquiring an additional 62,596 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $159.69 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.83, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.70. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $89.22 and a 1 year high of $160.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 28.40% and a net margin of 2.72%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.80 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 65.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on LDOS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Leidos from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total value of $153,798.57. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total value of $153,798.57. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.