Vident Advisory LLC Purchases 19,555 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 27.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,279 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,555 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC owned 0.07% of Leidos worth $13,150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth $52,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total value of $193,187.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,121,137.25. This represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS opened at $159.08 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $20.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.65. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.62 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $142.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. Leidos’s payout ratio is 16.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on LDOS. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group upped their price target on Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.69.

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.