Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS Stock: Running Oak Capital LLC Grows Position

Running Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 84,809 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,972 shares during the period. Running Oak Capital LLC owned 0.07% of Leidos worth $10,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 4.9% in the second quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,260 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 10.2% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 1,509 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $155,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 5,304 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $825,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Leidos by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,391 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group increased its holdings in Leidos by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 5,041 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $615,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Up 2.2%

NYSE LDOS opened at $135.58 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $129.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $139.91. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $98.86 and a one year high of $205.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.60. The company has a market capitalization of $16.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.55.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The aerospace company reported $3.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.71 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 31.48%. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.05 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 12.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Friday, July 31st that authorizes the company to repurchase 20,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 15th. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 15.38%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other news, Director Gary May sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.85, for a total value of $140,850.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 10,204 shares in the company, valued at $1,437,233.40. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LDOS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Leidos from $161.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Leidos from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Leidos in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $159.71.

Leidos Company Profile

Leidos Holdings, Inc is a technology and engineering company that provides services and solutions to government and commercial customers. Its work spans defense, intelligence, civil government and health, with offerings in areas such as information technology, cybersecurity, data analytics, engineering and mission software.

The company also develops and integrates systems and equipment for complex missions, including defense and aviation applications, and provides technology and services to support government health programs and healthcare organizations.

Leidos traces its history to Science Applications International Corporation, founded in 1969.