Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS Shares Purchased by Graham Capital Management L.P.

Key Points

• Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by 30.4% to 10,260 shares, valued at $1,384,000.
• Several large investors, including Pacer Advisors Inc. and Massachusetts Financial Services Co., significantly raised their positions in Leidos during the first quarter, reflecting increased institutional interest.
• Leidos recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, with a yield of 0.9%, and reported earnings exceeding analysts' expectations with a net margin of 8.22% and revenue growth of 2.9% year-over-year.

Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 30.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,260 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 2,389 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Leidos by 3,450.0% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 704,106 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $95,012,000 after buying an additional 684,272 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 29.8% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,336,222 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $315,250,000 after purchasing an additional 536,452 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 130.3% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 711,437 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $96,001,000 after purchasing an additional 402,454 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at about $45,665,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Leidos by 262.9% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 459,501 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $62,005,000 after buying an additional 332,882 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Leidos Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $180.83 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $151.63. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.62 and a fifty-two week high of $202.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. 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 analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.63 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.12%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 10,137 shares in the company, valued at $1,804,892.85. This trade represents a 16.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 7,526 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.39, for a total value of $1,327,511.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 26,481 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,670,983.59. This trade represents a 22.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,478 shares of company stock worth $1,852,525 in the last quarter. 0.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on LDOS shares. Baird R W downgraded shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target (up from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $168.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $179.46.

Leidos 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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