VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Invests $11.19 Million in Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 108,650 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,188,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Leidos by 94.7% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 148 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Longview Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Trading Down 2.7%

LDOS opened at $129.41 on Wednesday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.86 and a 52 week high of $205.77. The stock has a market cap of $16.24 billion, a PE ratio of 12.07, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The business has a 50 day moving average of $124.32 and a 200-day moving average of $137.03.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.80% and a return on equity of 30.81%. The company’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.21 EPS. Leidos has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.200-12.500 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 16.04%.

Leidos declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, July 31st that authorizes the company to buyback 20,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LDOS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Leidos from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $165.00 price objective on Leidos in a report on Monday, August 17th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Leidos in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Leidos from $152.00 to $132.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $150.00 target price on shares of Leidos in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $162.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other news, Director Noel Geer sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.66, for a total value of $1,406,600.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 34,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,820,980.84. This represents a 22.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gary May sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.85, for a total value of $140,850.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,437,233.40. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

About Leidos

Leidos is an American technology and engineering company that provides services and solutions to government and commercial customers, with a strong focus on national security, defense, intelligence, and civil government markets. The company delivers systems integration, engineering, cybersecurity, software development, data analytics, cloud migration and managed IT services, as well as mission support for complex programs. Leidos’ work spans areas such as C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), secure communications, sensors and systems engineering, and health IT solutions for public-sector healthcare programs.

Leidos traces its corporate roots to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and emerged as an independent, publicly traded company following a corporate separation in 2013.