Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Has $17.77 Million Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by 60.6% in the first quarter, ownings 131,700 shares valued at approximately $17.77 million.
• Notable institutional investors also raised their stakes in Leidos, with Pacer Advisors Inc. increasing its holdings by 3,450% and Allianz Asset Management GmbH by 262.9%.
• Leidos recently reported earnings of $3.21 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share to be paid on September 30th.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 60.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 131,700 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 49,686 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.10% of Leidos worth $17,772,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 422.2% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its position in Leidos by 260.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE LDOS traded up $0.5190 on Tuesday, reaching $178.6390. The company's stock had a trading volume of 716,666 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,371,708. The stock has a market cap of $22.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.88, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.65. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.62 and a twelve month high of $202.90. 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's 50 day moving average is $162.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $148.67.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.58. Leidos had a return on equity of 33.57% and a net margin of 8.22%.The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Leidos's payout ratio is presently 15.12%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 7,526 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.39, for a total value of $1,327,511.14. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 26,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,670,983.59. The trade was a 22.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 952 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.43, for a total value of $168,913.36. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,738,095.24. This trade represents a 4.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,478 shares of company stock worth $1,852,525 in the last 90 days. 0.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LDOS shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 target price on shares of Leidos and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price target (up previously from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group upped their target price on Leidos from $168.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Baird R W downgraded shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $179.46.

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.