Stifel Nicolaus Raises Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target to $165.00

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price target hoisted by Stifel Nicolaus from $160.00 to $165.00 in a report published on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Truist Financial reiterated a buy rating and issued a $165.00 price target (up previously from $150.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Saturday, May 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $146.08.

Leidos Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $146.39 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $126.93. Leidos has a 12-month low of $85.35 and a 12-month high of $151.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market cap of $19.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.10, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.69.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.47 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Leidos will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.52%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 875 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.67, for a total value of $131,836.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 44,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,651,929.83. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Hamilton Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter worth about $213,000. Boston Partners raised its holdings in Leidos by 5.8% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,430,264 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $449,592,000 after buying an additional 188,458 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Leidos by 48.7% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 13,035 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,709,000 after buying an additional 4,269 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in Leidos by 2,113.3% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 59,537 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,805,000 after buying an additional 56,847 shares during the period. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the first quarter valued at approximately $803,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.