Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday.

Several other analysts also recently commented on LDOS. Bank of America upped their price target 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. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $132.42.

Leidos Price Performance

Leidos stock opened at $124.91 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $126.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.70. The company has a market capitalization of $16.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.70. Leidos has a 1 year low of $76.58 and a 1 year high of $131.50. 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 (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.25. Leidos had a net margin of 1.29% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Leidos will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. Leidos’s payout ratio is 107.04%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 548.8% during the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 266 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 209.0% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.