Leuthold Group LLC Makes New $3.70 Million Investment in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Leuthold Group LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 25,663 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,697,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LDOS. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Leidos by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,800,357 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $945,458,000 after purchasing an additional 56,066 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 13.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,504,392 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $571,216,000 after acquiring an additional 405,256 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 1.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,365,903 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $546,912,000 after acquiring an additional 42,358 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Leidos by 27.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,405,726 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $392,133,000 after acquiring an additional 522,764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Leidos by 2.5% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,153,420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $351,007,000 after purchasing an additional 53,307 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. William Blair lowered Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Leidos in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $126.66 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $16.61 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.22 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.76.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. Equities analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.32%.

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.