Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Boosts Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 73.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,366 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,277 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $875,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Leidos by 1,460.0% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the third quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Leidos during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Leidos by 251.3% in 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 in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 20,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:LDOS opened at $158.28 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $169.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $104.72 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LDOS shares. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. 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 research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $191.23.

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.