Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Short Interest Update

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,500,000 shares, an increase of 6.4% from the July 15th total of 1,410,000 shares. Approximately 1.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 891,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,241.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,248,605.92. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,934 shares of company stock worth $429,655. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at about $18,976,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth approximately $219,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth approximately $292,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $898,000. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $2,299,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LDOS shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective (up previously from $150.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Two research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.25.

Leidos Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of Leidos stock traded up $1.02 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $149.04. 104,141 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 887,459. Leidos has a 12 month low of $89.22 and a 12 month high of $155.45. The company has a market cap of $20.15 billion, a PE ratio of 63.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $146.91 and a 200-day moving average of $137.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.21.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.36. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The business had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Leidos will post 8.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.52%.

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.