Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target Raised to $185.00

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price objective upped by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $175.00 to $185.00 in a research report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on LDOS. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $172.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Two research 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 a consensus price target of $164.83.

Leidos Stock Up 0.8 %

Leidos stock opened at $166.39 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $153.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.24. Leidos has a fifty-two week low of $89.22 and a fifty-two week high of $166.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.72, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $4.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.80 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 8.95 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total value of $153,798.57. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell purchased 1,712 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $145.04 per share, with a total value of $248,308.48. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at $1,082,689.65. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Key Financial Inc raised its position in Leidos by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 1,141 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 11,366 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,878,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 2,346 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Leidos by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,569 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $521,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. 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.