Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP Sells 1,135 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP trimmed its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 17.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,252 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,135 shares during the quarter. Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP’s holdings in Leidos were worth $568,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its stake in Leidos by 209.0% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS stock traded up $0.22 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $128.90. The company had a trading volume of 827,750 shares, compared to its average volume of 826,009. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $127.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.34. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $76.58 and a one year high of $131.50.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.25. Leidos had a net margin of 1.29% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.83 earnings per share. Leidos’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 7.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.18%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 107.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the business’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 completion of 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LDOS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Leidos from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Barclays raised Leidos from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Leidos from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Two investment 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. According to MarketBeat, Leidos has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.42.

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.