Insider Selling: Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Director Sells 2,128 Shares of Stock

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS opened at $130.17 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $145.35 and its 200-day moving average is $156.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.07 billion, a PE ratio of 14.09, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.76 and a fifty-two week high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. Equities analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 17.32%.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 3,896.8% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,239 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 1,208 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in Leidos by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 72,775 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $11,862,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its holdings in Leidos by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 14,378 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,344,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of Leidos by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 233,531 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,066,000 after purchasing an additional 10,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Leidos in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently 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.