United Capital Management of KS Inc. Purchases New Shares in Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Key Points

• United Capital Management of KS Inc. has acquired a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc., purchasing 4,000 shares worth approximately $540,000 during the first quarter.
• Leidos reported earnings of $3.21 per share for the quarter, exceeding estimates by 58 cents, alongside a revenue of $4.25 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, to be paid on September 30th, representing a 0.9% dividend yield.

United Capital Management of KS Inc. acquired a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,000 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $540,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 7.9% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,416,817 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $461,065,000 after purchasing an additional 251,245 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 29.8% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,336,222 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $315,250,000 after purchasing an additional 536,452 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Leidos by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,901,433 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $273,920,000 after acquiring an additional 155,481 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Leidos by 10.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,877,020 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $253,262,000 after acquiring an additional 170,263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Leidos by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,208,015 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $174,027,000 after acquiring an additional 23,153 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 7,526 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 26,481 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,670,983.59. The trade was a 22.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $356,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,137 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,804,892.85. This represents a 16.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,478 shares of company stock valued at $1,852,525. Insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS stock traded up $0.5190 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $178.6390. 716,535 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,371,698. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.62 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The company's fifty day moving average price is $161.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.46. The firm has a market cap of $22.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.65.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.58. Leidos had a return on equity of 33.57% and a net margin of 8.22%.The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.63 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price (up from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $179.46.

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.