Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Upgraded to Strong-Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Truist Financial reiterated a buy rating and set a $165.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays upgraded Leidos from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $141.17.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE:LDOS traded down $0.99 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $141.67. 1,311,263 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,123,401. The firm has a market cap of $19.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $129.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $115.38. Leidos has a 52 week low of $76.58 and a 52 week high of $143.35.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. Leidos’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.47 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.52%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in Leidos by 209.0% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors 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.