Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Director Purchases $322,260.00 in Stock

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $165.55 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $105.52 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $170.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $156.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. Leidos’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on LDOS. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price 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. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $189.69.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 1,460.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 251.3% in 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 during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Leidos

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.