Foster & Motley Inc. Acquires 13,558 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Key Points

• Foster & Motley Inc. increased its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by 160.7% during Q1 2023, now holding shares worth $2.97 million.
• Leidos has received multiple upgrades from analysts, including a strong-buy rating and price target increases from firms like Wells Fargo and UBS.
• The company recently declared a $0.40 quarterly dividend, representing a 0.99% yield and a payout ratio of 16.10%.

Foster & Motley Inc. increased its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 160.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,996 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,558 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $2,968,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its stake 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 260.0% during the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 234 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Trading Down 0.3%

Leidos stock traded down $0.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $159.21. 784,043 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 689,688. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $155.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $146.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.64. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.62 and a 52-week high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The company's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Baird R W cut shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. 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 report on Thursday, May 8th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (up from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total transaction of $193,187.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,121,137.25. This represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

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.