Wells Fargo & Company Cuts Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target to $191.00

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its target price reduced by Wells Fargo & Company from $197.00 to $191.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.87.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $129.92 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21. The company has a 50-day moving average of $142.59 and a 200-day moving average of $156.16. Leidos has a 52 week low of $123.22 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The company has a market capitalization of $17.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.06, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 422.2% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Company 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.