Freedom Investment Management Inc. Purchases 6,707 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Key Points

• Freedom Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Leidos Holdings, purchasing an additional 6,707 shares to raise its ownership by 318.2% during the second quarter.
• Leidos reported earnings of $3.21 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations of $2.63 and achieving a 2.9% increase year-over-year in revenue.
• Leidos declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40, with a current dividend yield of 0.8%, reflecting a payout ratio of 15.12%.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 318.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,815 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,707 shares during the quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,391,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Leidos by 145.6% in the 2nd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 7,998 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,262,000 after purchasing an additional 4,742 shares during the period. Kendall Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 93.7% during the 2nd quarter. Kendall Capital Management now owns 4,270 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $674,000 after acquiring an additional 2,065 shares during the period. McAdam LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at $286,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 49,679 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,704,000 after acquiring an additional 7,186 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 19.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 88,927 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $12,404,000 after acquiring an additional 14,246 shares during the period. 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 company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total transaction of $356,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 10,137 shares in the company, valued at $1,804,892.85. This represents a 16.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 952 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 4.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 22,975 shares of company stock valued at $4,078,740. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Leidos Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $191.63 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $24.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.11, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $185.31 and a 200-day moving average of $165.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.62 and a 1-year high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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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