BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases 43,764 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 18.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 278,115 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 43,764 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.21% of Leidos worth $40,065,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 437,535 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $63,026,000 after acquiring an additional 4,903 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $257,000. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth $299,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 37,063 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,339,000 after purchasing an additional 6,790 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its stake in shares of Leidos by 101.8% during the 4th quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 96,578 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $13,913,000 after purchasing an additional 48,715 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Leidos Trading Down 0.0 %

Leidos stock opened at $154.68 on Thursday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $123.62 and a one year high of $202.90. The business's fifty day moving average is $139.18 and its 200 day moving average is $149.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.83 billion, a PE ratio of 16.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.65. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.50. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. Leidos's payout ratio is 17.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on LDOS. William Blair lowered shares of Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com lowered Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. TD Cowen lowered Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Leidos from $191.00 to $173.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has 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 $178.62.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

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 company'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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

About Leidos

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.

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