Brokerages Set Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Target Price at $163.08

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $163.08.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of LDOS opened at $157.06 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $151.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.91. The firm has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a PE ratio of 67.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.70. Leidos has a 12-month low of $89.22 and a 12-month high of $159.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.80 EPS. Leidos’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Leidos will post 8.95 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell bought 1,712 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell acquired 1,712 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,248,605.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total value of $153,798.57. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 74,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,082,000 after acquiring an additional 11,576 shares during the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP acquired a new position in Leidos during the first quarter worth approximately $2,512,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA raised its stake in Leidos by 4.9% during the first quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 166,069 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $21,770,000 after purchasing an additional 7,703 shares during the period. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at $1,900,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 97.2% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,904 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,692,000 after buying an additional 6,360 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.