BNP Paribas Financial Markets Boosts Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 76.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 212,345 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 91,891 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Leidos were worth $27,836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 74,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,082,000 after acquiring an additional 11,576 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $18,976,000. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in Leidos by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 245,665 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $26,591,000 after acquiring an additional 38,496 shares during the last quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA lifted its holdings in Leidos by 4.9% in the first quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 166,069 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $21,770,000 after acquiring an additional 7,703 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new position in Leidos in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,900,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LDOS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Leidos in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Argus upped their price target on Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $146.08.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 875 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.67, for a total value of $131,836.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 44,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,651,929.83. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Leidos stock traded down $1.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $145.51. 411,555 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 767,381. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.70 and a 1 year high of $151.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $145.67 and its 200 day moving average is $128.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $19.67 billion, a PE ratio of 62.72, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.59. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. The company’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.