National Pension Service Reduces Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Key Points

• The National Pension Service has significantly cut its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by 75.9%, reducing its ownership to 56,868 shares worth approximately $7.67 million.
• Leidos recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, with an ex-dividend date of September 15th, reflecting a 0.9% dividend yield.
• Despite the National Pension Service's reduction, 76.12% of Leidos' stock is now owned by institutional investors, suggesting strong institutional interest remains in the company.

National Pension Service trimmed its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 75.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,868 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 178,908 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service's holdings in Leidos were worth $7,674,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 9.1% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 968 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Leidos by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 5,134 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $693,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Global Financial Private Client LLC lifted its holdings in Leidos by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 7,085 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $956,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 9.2% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, Syon Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 1,487 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Trading Down 0.4%

Leidos stock opened at $177.68 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.62 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The company has a market capitalization of $22.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.65. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $161.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $148.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 8.22% and a return on equity of 33.57%. Leidos's revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.63 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on LDOS shares. Baird R W cut shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price (up previously from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a research note on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $168.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 price objective on Leidos and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $179.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 7,526 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.39, for a total transaction of $1,327,511.14. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 26,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,670,983.59. This trade represents a 22.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 952 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.43, for a total value of $168,913.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,738,095.24. The trade was a 4.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,478 shares of company stock worth $1,852,525 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

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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