Analysts Set Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target at $132.42

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $132.42.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LDOS. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,413,210.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,413,210.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the first quarter worth about $222,000. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the first quarter worth about $224,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Leidos by 7.4% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 141,728 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $18,579,000 after purchasing an additional 9,812 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Leidos by 31.1% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 17,336 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,273,000 after purchasing an additional 4,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the first quarter valued at about $25,681,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:LDOS opened at $129.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $17.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 91.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.34. Leidos has a fifty-two week low of $76.58 and a fifty-two week high of $131.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $127.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.44.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.25. Leidos had a net margin of 1.29% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.83 EPS. Leidos’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Leidos will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 107.04%.

About Leidos

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.