Cantor Fitzgerald Upgrades Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) to “Strong-Buy”

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) was upgraded by research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. TD Cowen cut shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.87.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $129.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $143.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.99 billion, a PE ratio of 14.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Leidos has a 52 week low of $123.22 and a 52 week high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. On average, research analysts predict that Leidos will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,478,287.36. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.