Truist Financial Cuts Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target to $185.00

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price target trimmed by Truist Financial from $205.00 to $185.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on LDOS. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays increased their target price 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. 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 research 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $189.69.

Leidos Price Performance

Leidos stock opened at $165.51 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $170.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.32. Leidos has a one year low of $105.52 and a one year high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. Leidos’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Leidos will post 10.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.31%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. This represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

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

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.