Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Reduces Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT decreased its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,992 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 115 shares during the period. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in Leidos were worth $719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 2,106 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV grew its holdings in Leidos by 52.0% in the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 117,042 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $16,861,000 after buying an additional 40,025 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 105.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 3,126 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 1,605 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 83.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,167 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,177,000 after acquiring an additional 3,703 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 838.1% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 19,700 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,838,000 after acquiring an additional 17,600 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. William Blair cut shares of Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.27.

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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS opened at $126.66 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $16.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.71, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $144.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.65. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.22 and a 12-month high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

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.