Morse Asset Management Inc Has $844,000 Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Morse Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 92.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,175 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,480 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Leidos were worth $844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Leidos during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Leidos by 251.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. The trade was a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $153.55 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $171.43 and its 200-day moving average is $157.57. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $105.52 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The stock has a market cap of $20.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.49, 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.

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

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LDOS has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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, Citigroup raised their price objective on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.36.

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.