Ethic Inc. Buys 2,604 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. raised its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by 21% during Q2, now holding 15,030 shares valued at $2.34 million.
• Several other institutional investors increased their holdings in Leidos, resulting in around 76.12% of the stock being owned by institutions.
• Leidos reported $3.21 earnings per share for the past quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations significantly, along with a revenue of $4.25 billion.

Ethic Inc. increased its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 21.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,030 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,604 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $2,340,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. First Pacific Financial bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Optimum Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Leidos by 260.0% in the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 234 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total value of $356,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,137 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,804,892.85. This trade represents a 16.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 12,497 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.14, for a total value of $2,226,215.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 25,817 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,599,040.38. The trade was a 32.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 22,975 shares of company stock valued at $4,078,740. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LDOS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target (up from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Argus increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $195.00 price target on shares of Leidos in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $188.31.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $189.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.35 billion, a PE ratio of 17.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.62. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $185.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $165.44.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is 15.12%.

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.

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