Morse Asset Management Inc Buys New Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,770 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $363,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Leidos by 6.3% in the first quarter. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC now owns 29,569 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,876,000 after acquiring an additional 1,753 shares during the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC lifted its stake in Leidos by 53.6% in the first quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 10,938 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,434,000 after buying an additional 3,819 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Leidos by 138.5% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 517,498 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $67,840,000 after buying an additional 300,486 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC lifted its stake in Leidos by 86.2% in the first quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,902,000 after buying an additional 6,717 shares during the period. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Leidos in the first quarter valued at approximately $204,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Down 1.4 %

Leidos stock traded down $2.19 during trading on Friday, hitting $149.83. 1,043,788 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 767,939. The business’s 50 day moving average is $147.48 and its 200 day moving average is $133.48. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $89.22 and a 52 week high of $155.45. The company has a market capitalization of $20.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.58, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. Leidos’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Leidos from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Leidos from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 875 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.67, for a total value of $131,836.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 44,149 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,651,929.83. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.96% 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.