Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Takes Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,785 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 53.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 576,022 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $93,891,000 after buying an additional 199,686 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in 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 in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Leidos by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 42,086 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,063,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Czech National Bank boosted its position in Leidos by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 28,931 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth approximately $736,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total transaction of $193,187.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,121,137.25. The trade was a 5.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This trade represents a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,889 shares of company stock worth $675,786 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of Leidos stock traded up $1.19 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $155.90. 1,306,414 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,208,922. The business has a fifty day moving average of $140.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $149.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $20.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.65. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.62 and a 1 year high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. Leidos's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LDOS shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $180.69.

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.