StockNews.com Downgrades Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) to Buy

StockNews.com lowered shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on LDOS. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Barclays upgraded shares of Leidos from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Leidos from a c rating to a b rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $132.42.

Leidos Stock Up 0.3 %

LDOS opened at $130.33 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $127.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 91.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Leidos has a one year low of $76.58 and a one year high of $131.50.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.25. Leidos had a net margin of 1.29% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The firm had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.83 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Leidos will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 107.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,413,210.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Leidos in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in Leidos by 209.0% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by 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.