Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Shares Acquired by Ritholtz Wealth Management

Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 36.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,843 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,094 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,130,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in shares of Leidos by 173.5% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,381 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 876 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 11.4% during the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 29,828 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,351,000 after purchasing an additional 3,043 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in shares of Leidos by 23.5% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 2,507 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 9,796 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,330,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 188,912 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,558,000 after purchasing an additional 4,212 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Performance

Leidos stock opened at $155.19 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $157.02 and its 200-day moving average is $158.10. The company has a market cap of $20.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $107.73 and a 12 month 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. Leidos’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 18.22%.

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 that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $322,260. This represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group began coverage on Leidos in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $182.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lifted 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.07.

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.