Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Shares Purchased by Advisors Asset Management Inc.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,941 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,937 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $3,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 143.1% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,478,287.36. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Trading Down 2.7 %

Leidos stock opened at $134.80 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $123.23 and a one year high of $202.90. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $139.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $154.48. The company has a market capitalization of $17.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.59, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on LDOS. StockNews.com cut shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. TD Cowen lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.07.

Leidos 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.