Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Sets New 12-Month High at $151.38

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $151.38 and last traded at $151.33, with a volume of 409572 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $148.95.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LDOS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America upped their price objective on Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Two investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.83.

Leidos Trading Up 0.7 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $146.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $129.88. The company has a market capitalization of $20.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.68. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th were given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.52%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other Leidos news, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 875 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.67, for a total transaction of $131,836.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 44,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,651,929.83. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,923,663 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $532,937,000 after purchasing an additional 39,174 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Leidos by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,660,386 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $429,501,000 after buying an additional 272,090 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in Leidos by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,430,264 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $449,592,000 after buying an additional 188,458 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,191,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Leidos by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,841,723 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $199,344,000 after buying an additional 45,079 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Leidos

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.