ING Groep NV Raises Stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

ING Groep NV raised its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 52.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 117,042 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 40,025 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV owned approximately 0.09% of Leidos worth $16,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Leidos by 1,460.0% during the third 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 acquired a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Mather Group LLC. raised its holdings in Leidos by 143.1% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LDOS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Leidos in a report on Friday, February 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen cut shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.27.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS opened at $130.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.09, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $122.76 and a one year high of $202.90. The company’s fifty day moving average is $145.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. Analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 17.32%.

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.