South Dakota Investment Council Purchases Shares of 4,200 Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

South Dakota Investment Council bought a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 4,200 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $567,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth $266,419,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in Leidos by 510.6% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 999,661 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $144,011,000 after buying an additional 835,930 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Leidos by 35.0% during the 4th 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. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Leidos by 29.8% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,336,222 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $315,250,000 after acquiring an additional 536,452 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Leidos by 130.3% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 711,437 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $96,001,000 after purchasing an additional 402,454 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS stock opened at $160.76 on Tuesday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.62 and a 1 year high of $202.90. 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 has a market cap of $20.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $154.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.63.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $0.40 dividend. 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 payout ratio is presently 16.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. 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 cut shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total transaction of $193,187.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,121,137.25. This represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.69% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.

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