Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Thursday morning.

Several other research firms have also commented on LDOS. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. William Blair lowered Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.07.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS opened at $139.46 on Thursday. Leidos has a 1 year low of $123.23 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The firm has a market cap of $17.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.09, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $136.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 17.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Leidos by 422.2% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 143.1% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Leidos

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.