Pacer Advisors Inc. Lowers Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Pacer Advisors Inc. decreased its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 5.3% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 9,833 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 547 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 8.0% in the second quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 53,585 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $7,817,000 after buying an additional 3,985 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Leidos by 38.6% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,910 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 2,480 shares in the last quarter. WealthTrust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at $536,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 188,912 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,558,000 after purchasing an additional 4,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 57.8% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 129,917 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $18,952,000 after purchasing an additional 47,612 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LDOS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.08.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other Leidos news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell purchased 1,712 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $145.04 per share, with a total value of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,248,605.92. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,082,689.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $158.43 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.21. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $89.22 and a 52-week high of $160.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.42 billion, a PE ratio of 68.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio 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.