Sigma Planning Corp Reduces Stock Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Sigma Planning Corp cut its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 6.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,009 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 136 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Leidos were worth $327,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 122.5% during the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth $46,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LDOS shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective 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. Bank of America upped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a 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. According to MarketBeat, Leidos currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 20,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,899,594.97. The trade was a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Leidos Stock Down 4.4 %

LDOS stock opened at $160.65 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $169.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $155.45. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $104.63 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The company has a market cap of $21.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.30, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.22%.

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.