Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Cut to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Leidos in a report on Friday, February 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.27.

Leidos Trading Up 1.2 %

Leidos stock opened at $132.22 on Wednesday. Leidos has a 1 year low of $120.98 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $147.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $17.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.06, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. On average, equities analysts predict that Leidos will post 10.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 18.22%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other news, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 1,460.0% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.