Vident Advisory LLC Increases Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Vident Advisory LLC grew its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 27.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 91,279 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,555 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC owned 0.07% of Leidos worth $13,150,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in Leidos by 53.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 576,022 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $93,891,000 after purchasing an additional 199,686 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Leidos by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,504,392 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $571,216,000 after purchasing an additional 405,256 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Leidos by 83.1% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,064 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $874,000 after purchasing an additional 2,752 shares during the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Leidos by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,559 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $801,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in Leidos by 36.4% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 7,843 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,130,000 after purchasing an additional 2,094 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of LDOS traded down $0.62 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $158.32. The stock had a trading volume of 1,077,439 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,220,095. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $143.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $148.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.65. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.62 and a 1-year high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.50. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict 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 Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. William Blair downgraded Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group increased their price target on Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Leidos to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $180.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total value of $193,187.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,121,137.25. The trade was a 5.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Leidos Company 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.