Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Sets New 1-Year High After Dividend Announcement

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday following a dividend announcement from the company. The company traded as high as $131.78 and last traded at $131.14, with a volume of 56564 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.36.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 107.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LDOS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. Barclays upgraded shares of Leidos from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Argus raised their price target on Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.42.

Leidos Stock Up 1.0 %

The company has a market cap of $17.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 92.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $127.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.95.

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

Insider Activity

In other Leidos news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 209.0% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.