3,868 Shares in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Purchased by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund purchased a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 3,868 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $522,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Leidos by 50.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 792 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $913,000. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in Leidos by 83.0% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,167 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,177,000 after acquiring an additional 3,703 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its stake in Leidos by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 2,471 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Leidos by 208.7% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,034 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 699 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $177.46.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total value of $193,187.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,121,137.25. This represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

Leidos Stock Performance

Leidos stock opened at $152.41 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $149.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.62 billion, a PE ratio of 15.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.63. 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 posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 32.62%. Leidos's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

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 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LDOS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.