UBS Group Cuts Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target to $156.00

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price objective trimmed by UBS Group from $162.00 to $156.00 in a research note published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on LDOS. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.27.

Leidos Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE LDOS opened at $132.22 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $157.29. The company has a market capitalization of $17.64 billion, a PE ratio of 15.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.66. 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 has a 12 month low of $120.98 and a 12 month high of $202.90.

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

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. Leidos’s payout ratio is 18.22%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $862,260.48. This trade represents a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% 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.