Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Hits New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $145.00 to $160.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Leidos traded as high as $144.17 and last traded at $143.79, with a volume of 87775 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $142.62.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Leidos from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Argus raised their price target on shares of Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total value of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,352 shares in the company, valued at $1,413,210.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA acquired a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Leidos during the third quarter worth $30,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in Leidos by 209.0% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $19.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $130.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.59. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. The firm had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.52%.

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.