Legacy Capital Group California Inc. Grows Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Legacy Capital Group California Inc. raised its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,106 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $303,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in Leidos by 143.1% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This trade represents a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS stock opened at $126.66 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.22 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.71, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $144.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.76.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. On average, research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 17.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup upped their price target on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. William Blair downgraded shares of Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird upped 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. TD Cowen downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.27.

Leidos 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.