Mizuho Markets Americas LLC Purchases New Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Key Points

• Mizuho Markets Americas LLC acquired 10,849 shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc., valued at approximately $1.46 million, indicating strong institutional interest in the aerospace company.
• Leidos reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $3.21 for the last quarter, surpassing analyst estimates by $0.58, along with a revenue growth of 2.9% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, set for distribution on September 30th, representing an annual yield of 0.9%.

Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 10,849 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $1,464,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LDOS. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Leidos by 422.2% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Leidos in the first quarter worth $27,000. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Leidos by 260.0% in the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 234 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in Leidos in the first quarter worth $33,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on LDOS shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 price target on Leidos and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $179.46.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $177.06. The company had a trading volume of 39,797 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,385,951. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The business has a 50-day moving average of $158.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.21. The company has a market cap of $22.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.65. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.62 and a 1 year high of $202.90.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is 15.12%.

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.