Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Increases Stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 29.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,336,222 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 536,452 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 1.82% of Leidos worth $315,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at $266,419,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Leidos by 510.6% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 999,661 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $144,011,000 after purchasing an additional 835,930 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,630,448 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $378,942,000 after purchasing an additional 682,532 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 435.1% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 464,573 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $67,032,000 after buying an additional 377,756 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in Leidos by 151.6% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 548,748 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $79,053,000 after buying an additional 330,623 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of Leidos stock traded down $3.17 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $160.50. 701,955 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,277,213. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $154.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.12. The firm has a market cap of $20.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.64. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.62 and a 52-week high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.29 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. Leidos's payout ratio is currently 16.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on LDOS shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 price target on Leidos and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Baird R W downgraded shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.15.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,121,137.25. This represents a 5.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.