Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS) - What Are Brokerages Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Broker consensus is “Hold”: Of 15 analysts, 10 rate Leidos a hold, four rate it a buy, and one gives it a strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $150.85.
• Leidos exceeded quarterly expectations: The company reported adjusted EPS of $3.26 versus the $2.91 consensus estimate and revenue of $4.56 billion, up 7.2% year over year.
• Shareholder actions remain notable: Leidos authorized a buyback of up to 20 million shares, while two directors recently sold shares; institutional investors own 76.12% of the stock.

Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $150.85.

Several research analysts have commented on LDOS shares. Wall Street Zen raised Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. UBS Group upped their target price on Leidos from $124.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Leidos from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $150.00 target price on Leidos in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS opened at $142.81 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Leidos has a 52-week low of $98.86 and a 52-week high of $205.77. The company has a 50 day moving average of $129.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $141.60. The company has a market cap of $17.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.58.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The aerospace company reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.35. Leidos had a net margin of 7.80% and a return on equity of 30.81%. The company had revenue of $4.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.21 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Leidos will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Friday, July 31st that authorizes the company to repurchase 20,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other news, Director Gary May sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.85, for a total transaction of $140,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,437,233.40. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel B. Geer sold 10,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.66, for a total transaction of $1,406,600.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 34,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,820,980.84. The trade was a 22.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fulton Bank N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,154 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 2.7% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,748 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $583,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise boosted its stake in Leidos by 10.2% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 1,509 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC grew its position in Leidos by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 5,304 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $825,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group grew its position in Leidos by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 5,041 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $615,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Leidos Company Profile

Leidos Holdings, Inc NYSE: LDOS is a technology, engineering and science company that provides services and solutions to government and commercial customers. Its work supports defense, intelligence, civil government, health and transportation missions, with offerings that include information technology modernization, systems integration, cybersecurity, data analytics, artificial intelligence, engineering and mission operations.

The company also provides health technology and scientific services, transportation management systems, aviation and security solutions, and support for complex government programs.

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