Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS Shares Bought by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. significantly increased its stake in Leidos Holdings, acquiring an additional 10,388 shares for a total of 13,556 shares, raising the value of their holdings to approximately $1.83 million.
• Leidos reported earnings of $3.21 per share for the last quarter, surpassing expectations of $2.63, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share scheduled for September 30th.
• Institutional investors now own 76.12% of Leidos' stock, with several hedge funds, including Pacer Advisors and Allianz Asset Management, making significant increases in their positions during the first quarter.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 327.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,556 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,388 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,829,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 422.2% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 260.0% in the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 234 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at about $54,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS traded up $0.67 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $184.13. 175,322 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,295,450. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.62 and a twelve month high of $202.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $172.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $154.59.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.58. Leidos had a return on equity of 33.57% and a net margin of 8.22%.The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 12,497 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was 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 owned 25,817 shares in the company, valued at $4,599,040.38. The trade was a 32.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total value 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,975 shares of company stock worth $4,078,740 in the last 90 days. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LDOS shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Leidos from $168.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 target price on Leidos and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.