Truist Financial Boosts Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target to $175.00

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its target price increased by Truist Financial from $165.00 to $175.00 in a report published on Thursday, Benzinga reports. Truist Financial currently has a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $163.08.

Leidos Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $152.85 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Leidos has a 1-year low of $89.22 and a 1-year high of $159.10. The firm has a market cap of $20.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.88, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.70.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. Leidos’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Leidos will post 8.95 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,241.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell purchased 1,712 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $145.04 per share, with a total value of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Leidos during the second quarter valued at $34,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in Leidos during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Leidos by 251.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 122.5% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is 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.