Venturi Wealth Management LLC Purchases 257 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 94.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 528 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $86,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Leidos during the third quarter worth $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Leidos during the second quarter worth $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Leidos by 251.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in Leidos by 122.5% in the 2nd 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Trading Down 13.6 %

Shares of LDOS opened at $167.96 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $169.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $22.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $104.30 and a 52-week high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.31%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the company’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 sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. The trade was a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total value of $535,777.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,899,594.97. This represents a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LDOS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.23.

Leidos 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.