Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Sells 5,196 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. cut its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 175,373 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 5,196 shares during the quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. owned about 0.13% of Leidos worth $25,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 143.1% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on 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 purchase, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LDOS has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.27.

Leidos Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:LDOS opened at $132.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $157.32. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $120.98 and a 1 year 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 stock has a market cap of $17.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. Leidos’s payout ratio is 18.22%.

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.