Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC Makes New Investment in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Key Points

• Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC purchased 10,433 shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS), valued at approximately $1.4 million, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Leidos reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.63, while its revenue increased by 2.9% year-over-year to $4.25 billion.
• The company will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share on September 30th, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 0.9% based on current pricing.

Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,433 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $1,407,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Banco Santander S.A. raised its stake in Leidos by 14.0% during the first quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 2,501 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund grew its holdings in Leidos by 14.9% during the 1st quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund now owns 5,400 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $729,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd raised its position in shares of Leidos by 35.0% in the 1st quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 1,900 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 15.0% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 18,529 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,500,000 after purchasing an additional 2,413 shares during the period. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at about $202,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the firm's 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 directly owned 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,121,137.25. This trade represents a 5.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LDOS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird downgraded Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price target (up from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.43.

Leidos Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE LDOS traded up $0.82 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $175.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,134,212 shares, compared to its average volume of 837,930. The company has a market capitalization of $22.49 billion, a PE ratio of 16.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.62 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $157.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $146.99.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 33.57% and a net margin of 8.22%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.63 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.10%.

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.