Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. Has $566,000 Stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Key Points

• Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. increased its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. by 78.2% during the first quarter, owning 4,196 shares valued at approximately $566,000.
• Several other institutional investors, including Parallel Advisors LLC and Global Financial Private Client LLC, made modifications to their holdings, collectively owning 76.12% of the company’s stock.
• Leidos recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, representing an annual yield of 0.98%, with a payout ratio of 16.10%.

Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 78.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,196 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,841 shares during the quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter worth 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 acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its stake in Leidos by 260.0% during the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 234 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS traded down $0.54 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $160.51. The company had a trading volume of 372,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,397,168. The company has a market capitalization of $20.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.64. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.62 and a twelve month high of $202.90. The company's 50-day moving average is $155.27 and its 200-day moving average is $146.46. 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 (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 7.87%. Leidos's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on LDOS. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 price objective on Leidos and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Baird R W downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total value of $193,187.50. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is currently 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.