National Bank of Canada FI Has $28.83 Million Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

National Bank of Canada FI reduced its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 176,847 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 18,020 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.13% of Leidos worth $28,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Leidos by 1,460.0% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Leidos in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. The trade was a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Trading Down 0.4 %

Leidos stock opened at $163.15 on Monday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.52 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The stock has a market cap of $21.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $171.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $157.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 17.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LDOS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $182.00 price target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.36.

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.