StockNews.com Upgrades Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) to Strong-Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays raised shares of Leidos from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Leidos from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Truist Financial restated a buy rating and issued a $165.00 target price (up previously from $150.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Leidos from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $145.67.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $142.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.57, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos has a 12 month low of $76.58 and a 12 month high of $144.17.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.59. The firm had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 2.04% and a return on equity of 25.66%. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Leidos will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 65.52%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following 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. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter worth $80,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Leidos by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 40,026 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,247,000 after buying an additional 2,390 shares during the period. Montag A & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at about $109,000. Susquehanna International Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter worth about $365,000. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 7.3% in the first quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 138,898 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $18,208,000 after acquiring an additional 9,412 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.