Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Sets New 12-Month High at $159.37

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $159.37 and last traded at $159.25, with a volume of 212141 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $157.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial upped their price target on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.08.

Leidos Stock Down 0.3 %

The stock has a market cap of $21.28 billion, a PE ratio of 68.10, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.70. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $151.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.51.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $4.13 billion during 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%. Leidos’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. Analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell purchased 1,712 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $145.04 per share, with a total value of $248,308.48. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 251.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position 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 last quarter. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by 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.