Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires Shares of 3,052 Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,052 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $412,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 422.2% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total transaction of $193,187.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,121,137.25. This trade represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on LDOS. Baird R W downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. William Blair lowered shares of Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Leidos to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.46.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS traded up $1.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $149.12. 1,107,656 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,254,110. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $147.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $145.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $19.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.14, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.63. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.62 and a twelve 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.10%.

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.