TD Cowen Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price objective lifted by TD Cowen from $175.00 to $200.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

LDOS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays upped their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America upped their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.77.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS opened at $185.71 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $25.02 billion, a PE ratio of 58.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.70. 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 has a 12-month low of $94.57 and a 12-month high of $188.36. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $161.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $150.56.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 28.40% and a net margin of 2.72%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Leidos will post 8.96 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 47.65%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 9.4% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,231 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,439,000 after acquiring an additional 2,259 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co bought a new stake in Leidos in the first quarter worth $305,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Leidos by 3.7% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 464,406 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $60,879,000 after purchasing an additional 16,446 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Leidos by 3.3% in the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,195 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $681,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smith Group Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Leidos in the first quarter worth $13,397,000. 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.