WealthTrust Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 3,673 Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

WealthTrust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,673 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $536,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Tidemark LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 122.5% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Leidos in the second quarter valued at about $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

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

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $156.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $21.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $151.11 and its 200-day moving average is $142.71. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $89.22 and a one year high of $159.10.

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

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.52%.

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.