Quartz Partners LLC Buys 960 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Quartz Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 16,373 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 960 shares during the quarter. Leidos comprises 1.4% of Quartz Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Quartz Partners LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $2,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 3.5% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. boosted its holdings in Leidos by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. now owns 2,280 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $372,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Leidos by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,738 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $394,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Leidos by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $691,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Leidos by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS stock opened at $126.66 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $144.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.84. The stock has a market cap of $16.61 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $123.22 and a one year high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LDOS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen cut Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Leidos in a report on Friday, February 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.27.

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.