Lazard Asset Management LLC Buys 6,045 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 25,187.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,069 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,045 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Leidos were worth $874,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in Leidos by 143.1% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Leidos Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $160.27 on Wednesday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.62 and a 52-week high of $202.90. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $143.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $20.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.35, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.65.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.29 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Leidos's payout ratio is 16.10%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total transaction of $193,187.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,121,137.25. The trade was a 5.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on LDOS shares. William Blair cut Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Leidos to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $180.69.

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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