Aquatic Capital Management LLC Makes New $9.35 Million Investment in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 64,867 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $9,345,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth about $266,419,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in Leidos by 510.6% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 999,661 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $144,011,000 after purchasing an additional 835,930 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,630,448 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $378,942,000 after purchasing an additional 682,532 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 13.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,504,392 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $571,216,000 after purchasing an additional 405,256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Leidos by 435.1% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 464,573 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $67,032,000 after buying an additional 377,756 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This trade represents a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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 insiders.

Leidos Trading Down 0.1 %

LDOS traded down $0.16 during trading on Thursday, hitting $147.02. 428,124 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,200,117. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $137.08 and a 200 day moving average of $150.24. 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 $18.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.62 and a 12-month high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Leidos's payout ratio is 17.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LDOS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. TD Cowen downgraded Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, William Blair downgraded Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $179.23.

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.