Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Sets New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $165.00 to $210.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Leidos traded as high as $188.73 and last traded at $188.12, with a volume of 139231 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $186.32.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America increased their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.23.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $1,185,095.52. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The trade was a 0.00 % 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

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Leidos by 5.8% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,430,264 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $449,592,000 after buying an additional 188,458 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Leidos by 156.5% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,133,508 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $165,356,000 after acquiring an additional 691,575 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Leidos by 51.2% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 837,370 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $136,491,000 after acquiring an additional 283,558 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Leidos by 39.7% during the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 782,161 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $114,102,000 after acquiring an additional 222,179 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 76.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 698,807 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $101,942,000 after purchasing an additional 303,775 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Up 2.2 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $165.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $152.75. The company has a market cap of $25.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.12, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.31%.

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.