Kera Capital Partners Inc. Takes Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Key Points

• Kera Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by purchasing 1,392 shares valued at approximately $220,000 during the 2nd quarter.
• Insider selling has occurred recently, with Director Gary Stephen May selling 2,000 shares for a total of $356,100, representing a 16.48% decrease in ownership.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, with a payout ratio of 15.12%, to be paid on September 30th.

Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,392 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $220,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Leidos by 422.2% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Optimum Investment Advisors grew 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total transaction of $356,100.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 12,497 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.14, for a total transaction of $2,226,215.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,599,040.38. This represents a 32.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,975 shares of company stock valued at $4,078,740 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $184.02 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $23.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $172.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.59.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 8.22% and a return on equity of 33.57%. Leidos's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. Analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LDOS shares. 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. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (up previously from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Leidos from $168.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $183.31.

Leidos Company 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.

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