Banco Santander S.A. Purchases New Stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Banco Santander S.A. acquired a new position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $316,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Leidos by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 454 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Leidos by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,738 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $691,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,197 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $749,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $137.17 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $141.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.62. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.22 and a 52-week high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

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 given 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 1.17%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The sale 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 the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $862,260.48. This trade represents a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. William Blair lowered Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.87.

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.