Redwood Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Redwood Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 15,074 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the period. Redwood Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $2,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Leidos by 1,460.0% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Leidos in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on LDOS. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America boosted their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.36.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $165.06 on Thursday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.52 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The stock has a market cap of $22.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.64. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $171.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.22.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 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 firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s payout ratio is 17.31%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

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.