Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on LDOS. Truist Financial reissued a buy rating and issued a $165.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of Leidos in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays raised shares of Leidos from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $145.67.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS opened at $142.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos has a twelve month low of $76.58 and a twelve month high of $143.35. The company has a 50 day moving average of $129.45 and a 200-day moving average of $115.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of 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. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other 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 valued at about $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 209.0% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.