Freedom Investment Management Inc. Cuts Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Key Points

• Freedom Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by 40.3%, selling 1,425 shares and owning a total of 2,108 shares valued at $284,000.
• Leidos has seen an increase in ratings from analysts, with Jefferies Financial Group upgrading the stock to a buy and raising its price target to $205.00.
• The company reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, surpassing estimates, and has set its FY 2025 EPS guidance at 11.150-11.450.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 40.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,108 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 1,425 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LDOS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,416,817 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $461,065,000 after acquiring an additional 251,245 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Leidos by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,336,222 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $315,250,000 after acquiring an additional 536,452 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Leidos by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,877,020 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $253,262,000 after acquiring an additional 170,263 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Leidos by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,208,015 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $174,027,000 after acquiring an additional 23,153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 130.3% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 711,437 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $96,001,000 after acquiring an additional 402,454 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Leidos Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Leidos stock traded down $0.48 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $180.88. The company had a trading volume of 671,024 shares, compared to its average volume of 889,780. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $23.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $167.62 and a 200 day moving average of $151.08. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 33.57% and a net margin of 8.22%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.63 EPS. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 7,526 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.39, for a total transaction of $1,327,511.14. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 26,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,670,983.59. This trade represents a 22.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 952 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,738,095.24. This represents a 4.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,478 shares of company stock worth $1,852,525. Insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LDOS shares. UBS Group increased 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. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price (up previously from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 price target on Leidos and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $179.46.

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.