Lincoln National Corp Reduces Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Lincoln National Corp trimmed its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 18,962 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 142 shares during the period. Lincoln National Corp’s holdings in Leidos were worth $2,052,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in Leidos by 94.2% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 29,603 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,728,000 after purchasing an additional 14,362 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in Leidos by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 13,101 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,207,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its stake in Leidos by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 10,709 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $992,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 5.3% in the third quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 12,727 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,173,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Partners II LLC lifted its position in Leidos by 19.5% during the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 5,741 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $529,000 after purchasing an additional 938 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Leidos Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:LDOS traded up $1.85 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $144.70. 193,190 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 898,711. The business has a 50-day moving average of $129.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.23. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.58 and a twelve month high of $144.90. The company has a market capitalization of $19.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.57, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,352 shares in the company, valued at $1,413,210.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,413,210.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were 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 directly owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LDOS. Barclays lifted their price target on Leidos from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 target price (up previously from $150.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.67.

Leidos 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.