Meeder Asset Management Inc. Trims Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Key Points

• Meeder Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by 89.8%, now holding only 7,620 shares after selling 66,741 shares in the first quarter.
• Leidos reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.97 for the quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $2.47, with revenue of $4.25 billion.
• The stock is currently rated as a "Moderate Buy" by analysts, with an average target price of $175.15.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 89.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,620 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 66,741 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,028,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Leidos by 422.2% during 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 during the period. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of Leidos by 260.0% during the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 234 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the first quarter valued at $55,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 price objective on Leidos and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value of $193,187.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $3,121,137.25. This trade represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of LDOS traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $161.04. 548,088 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 732,148. The business's 50-day moving average price is $155.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $146.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.42. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.62 and a twelve month high of $202.90. The company has a market capitalization of $20.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.20, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.64.

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

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.10%.

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.