Empowered Funds LLC Sells 65,048 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Empowered Funds LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 47.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 72,080 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 65,048 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $11,371,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. First Pacific Financial bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter worth $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 471.4% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 200 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. lifted its position in Leidos by 66.2% during the second quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. now owns 216 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:LDOS opened at $189.20 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $189.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $171.95. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.62 and a 1 year high of $205.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.50.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $4.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 8.11% and a return on equity of 33.02%. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.450-11.75 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 14.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LDOS shares. Wall Street Zen raised Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Leidos from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Leidos from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Leidos in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.23.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 12,497 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.14, for a total transaction of $2,226,215.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 25,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,599,040.38. The trade was a 32.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.69% 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.