Patton Fund Management Inc. Makes New $238,000 Investment in Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Key Points

• Patton Fund Management Inc. invested $238,000 in Leidos Holdings, Inc., purchasing 1,510 shares in the second quarter, indicating strong interest from institutional investors in the aerospace company.
• Several research firms have recently upgraded their ratings and price targets for Leidos, with target prices ranging from $178.00 to $210.00, reflecting a positive outlook on the stock.
• Leidos announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, representing a 0.9% yield, and reported strong earnings, beating analysts' expectations with an EPS of $3.21.

Patton Fund Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,510 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LDOS. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Leidos by 145.6% during the second quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 7,998 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,262,000 after purchasing an additional 4,742 shares in the last quarter. McAdam LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth about $286,000. Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at about $267,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Leidos by 263.7% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,706 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,849,000 after acquiring an additional 9,938 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Leidos by 2,940.8% during the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,159 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 2,088 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on LDOS. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price (up previously from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 price objective on Leidos and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Argus lifted their price objective on Leidos from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $185.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total transaction of $356,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,137 shares in the company, valued at $1,804,892.85. The trade was a 16.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 952 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.43, for a total value of $168,913.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,738,095.24. This trade represents a 4.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 22,975 shares of company stock valued at $4,078,740. Company insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

Leidos Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE LDOS opened at $184.95 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $23.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.62 and a 12 month high of $202.90. 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 50-day moving average of $176.66 and a 200-day moving average of $158.21.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Leidos's payout ratio is presently 15.12%.

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.

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