Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock Price

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price objective decreased by Wells Fargo & Company from $205.00 to $199.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Leidos in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $182.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup upped their target price on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.07.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS opened at $145.75 on Wednesday. Leidos has a 1-year low of $107.73 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The company has a market capitalization of $19.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $162.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $157.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Leidos will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Leidos by 1,460.0% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.