Royal Bank of Canada Raises Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target to $140.00

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price target hoisted by Royal Bank of Canada from $120.00 to $140.00 in a research note published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a sector perform rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on LDOS. StockNews.com lowered Leidos from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Barclays raised Leidos from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Leidos from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America upped their target price on Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Two 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 MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $141.17.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS opened at $141.67 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $129.12 and a 200 day moving average of $115.38. Leidos has a 52-week low of $76.58 and a 52-week high of $143.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market cap of $19.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.06, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.59. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. Leidos’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 209.0% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.