Empowered Funds LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by 80.8% in the first quarter, owning 137,128 shares valued at approximately $18.5 million.
• Leidos reported an impressive quarterly earnings of $3.21 EPS, exceeding analysts' expectations and representing a 2.9% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.9%, to be paid on September 30th.

Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 80.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 137,128 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 61,288 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.11% of Leidos worth $18,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 422.2% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 260.0% during the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 234 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at about $54,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of Leidos stock traded up $5.00 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $185.37. 851,293 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 640,995. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.62 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.87. 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 company has a market capitalization of $23.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 target price on Leidos and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. UBS Group raised their target price on Leidos from $168.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $183.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 952 shares of Leidos 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 sale, the director owned 21,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,738,095.24. The trade was a 4.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total transaction of $356,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 10,137 shares in the company, valued at $1,804,892.85. This trade represents a 16.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 22,975 shares of company stock valued at $4,078,740. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Leidos 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.