Atwood & Palmer Inc. Grows Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Atwood & Palmer Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 267,358 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 8,376 shares during the quarter. Leidos makes up approximately 1.7% of Atwood & Palmer Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Atwood & Palmer Inc. owned about 0.21% of Leidos worth $32,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,024,436,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 16,475.4% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,156,784 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $646,463,000 after purchasing an additional 4,131,706 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Leidos by 998.6% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,097,724 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $170,718,000 after purchasing an additional 997,807 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Leidos in the second quarter valued at approximately $77,623,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Leidos during the second quarter valued at $68,998,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS stock traded up $5.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $119.17. 1,673,240 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,323,087. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $131.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $129.77. The company has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.58. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.86 and a 52-week high of $205.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.60.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The aerospace company reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.35. Leidos had a net margin of 7.80% and a return on equity of 30.81%. The business had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.21 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.04%.

Leidos announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Friday, July 31st that authorizes the company to buyback 20,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on LDOS shares. Robert W. Baird set a $150.00 target price on Leidos in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America upped their price target on Leidos from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Leidos from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Leidos from $152.00 to $132.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday, August 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $156.14.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other news, Director Noel Geer sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.66, for a total transaction of $1,406,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 34,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,820,980.84. The trade was a 22.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.85, for a total transaction of $140,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 10,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,437,233.40. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

About Leidos

Leidos Holdings, Inc is a technology, engineering and services company that provides solutions to government and commercial customers. The company operates primarily in the defense, intelligence, civil and health markets, supporting customers with mission-critical systems, digital modernization, cybersecurity, data analytics and technical services.

Its offerings include defense and intelligence technologies, command-and-control systems, transportation and infrastructure solutions, health information technology, aviation and security services, and scientific and engineering support.