FY2024 EPS Estimates for Leidos Holdings, Inc. Lifted by Analyst (NYSE:LDOS)

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) – William Blair raised their FY2024 earnings estimates for shares of Leidos in a report issued on Tuesday, July 30th. William Blair analyst L. Dipalma now anticipates that the aerospace company will earn $8.84 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $8.69. The consensus estimate for Leidos’ current full-year earnings is $8.85 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Leidos’ Q4 2024 earnings at $2.10 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $9.59 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on LDOS. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $157.62.

Leidos Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:LDOS opened at $145.35 on Thursday. Leidos has a 12 month low of $89.22 and a 12 month high of $155.45. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $147.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $19.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.36. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The firm had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.80 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 875 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.67, for a total transaction of $131,836.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly 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 is accessible through this link. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Leidos by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the second quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Carret Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the second quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,079,000. Finally, Convergence Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the second quarter valued at approximately $648,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.