Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Stake Increased by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,635 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,379 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Leidos were worth $9,167,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LDOS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,450,395 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,225,784,000 after acquiring an additional 84,003 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Leidos by 13.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,504,392 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $571,216,000 after purchasing an additional 405,256 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Leidos by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,393,313 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $487,649,000 after buying an additional 27,410 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Leidos by 35.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,630,448 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $378,942,000 after acquiring an additional 682,532 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,901,433 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $273,920,000 after acquiring an additional 155,481 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total value of $193,187.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $3,121,137.25. This trade represents a 5.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS stock traded up $3.64 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $156.70. 1,170,688 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,212,051. The company's 50 day moving average price is $141.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $149.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21. The company has a market cap of $20.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.65. 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 issued 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 return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.29 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Leidos's payout ratio is currently 16.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on LDOS shares. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.