Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 1,128 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 0.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 640,567 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,128 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $104,418,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Leidos by 251.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 122.5% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,241.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was 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 $1,622,241.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Trading Up 3.0 %

NYSE LDOS opened at $198.40 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.27 and a 52 week high of $199.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $166.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $26.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LDOS shares. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.23.

Leidos 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.