Ascent Group LLC Acquires 2,307 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Key Points

• Ascent Group LLC increased its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by 73.0% during the second quarter, now holding 5,467 shares valued at $863,000.
• Leidos reported $3.21 EPS for its most recent quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.63, and has set a FY 2025 EPS guidance of 11.150-11.450.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 that results in an annualized dividend yield of 0.8% and a payout ratio of 15.12%.

Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 73.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,467 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,307 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in Leidos were worth $863,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth $76,000. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Leidos in the second quarter worth about $225,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 6.2% in the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 15,439 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,436,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. Naples Global Advisors LLC boosted its position in Leidos by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 55,099 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $8,692,000 after acquiring an additional 595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 24,669 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,892,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Leidos Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE:LDOS opened at $198.04 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market cap of $25.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.71. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.62 and a fifty-two week high of $202.90. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $180.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.55.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.58. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 8.22% and a return on equity of 33.57%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.12%.

Insider Activity

In other Leidos news, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 12,497 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.14, for a total transaction of $2,226,215.58. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,599,040.38. This represents a 32.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total transaction of $356,100.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 10,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,804,892.85. The trade was a 16.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,975 shares of company stock valued at $4,078,740 over the last ninety days. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LDOS has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price (up previously from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday, July 14th. Argus increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Leidos and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Leidos in a report on Saturday, September 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $188.31.

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.

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.