Zacks Research Comments on Leidos’ Q1 Earnings (NYSE:LDOS)

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Leidos in a research report issued on Wednesday, December 11th. Zacks Research analyst A. Dutta now forecasts that the aerospace company will post earnings per share of $2.31 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.28. The consensus estimate for Leidos’ current full-year earnings is $9.89 per share.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on LDOS. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.00.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $153.16 on Monday. Leidos has a twelve month low of $105.52 and a twelve month high of $202.90. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.64.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Leidos’s payout ratio is 18.22%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 20,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $322,260. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased 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 buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Leidos by 251.3% in the second 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 period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.