Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Sunday morning.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on LDOS. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Leidos from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Bank of America upped their price target on Leidos from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Argus lifted their price objective on Leidos from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Leidos from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.23.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LDOS opened at $186.98 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $190.60 and a 200-day moving average of $174.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.62. Leidos has a twelve month low of $123.62 and a twelve month high of $205.77. The firm has a market cap of $23.91 billion, a PE ratio of 17.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.58.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $4.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 8.11% and a return on equity of 33.02%. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.450-11.75 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Leidos will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Leidos’s payout ratio is 14.93%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other Leidos news, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 12,497 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.14, for a total value of $2,226,215.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 25,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,599,040.38. This represents a 32.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Leidos by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,203 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $416,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. 44 Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1.0% in the third quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,039,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 2.0% during the second quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 2,974 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $469,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 1,639 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of Leidos by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 8,243 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,558,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.