Moran Wealth Management LLC Makes New $8.48 Million Investment in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Moran Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 52,029 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,481,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 1,460.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Leidos during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 251.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,899,594.97. The trade was a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $162.15 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.88. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $105.34 and a twelve month high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market capitalization of $21.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.47, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.23.

Leidos 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.