Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock Price Target Raised at Citigroup

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Citigroup from $141.00 to $163.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Citigroup‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 18.31% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $165.00 price objective on Leidos in a research note on Monday, August 17th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $150.00 target price on shares of Leidos in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Leidos in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.29.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS traded up $2.02 on Tuesday, reaching $137.78. The stock had a trading volume of 232,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,293,169. Leidos has a fifty-two week low of $98.86 and a fifty-two week high of $205.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $129.04 and a 200-day moving average of $139.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $16.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.55.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The aerospace company reported $3.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.58. Leidos had a return on equity of 31.48% and a net margin of 7.97%. The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.71 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.05 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 12.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Friday, July 31st that authorizes the company to buy back 20,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other news, Director Gary May sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.85, for a total value of $140,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,437,233.40. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,024,436,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Leidos during the second quarter worth approximately $77,623,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in Leidos during the second quarter worth approximately $68,998,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Leidos in the second quarter worth approximately $67,047,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Leidos in the second quarter worth approximately $38,039,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Leidos Company Profile

Leidos Holdings, Inc. is a technology and engineering company that provides services and solutions to government and commercial customers. Its work spans defense, intelligence, civil government and health, with offerings in areas such as information technology, cybersecurity, data analytics, engineering and mission software. The company also develops and integrates systems and equipment for complex missions, including defense and aviation applications, and provides technology and services to support government health programs and healthcare organizations.