VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Purchases Shares of 185,200 Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems purchased 185,200 shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. for approximately $29.2 million, representing about 0.14% ownership of the company.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in Leidos, with GAMMA Investing LLC raising its position by 14.1% in the first quarter.
• Leidos reported earnings of $3.21 per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, and has predicted an EPS of 11.150-11.450 for FY 2025.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 185,200 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $29,217,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned about 0.14% of Leidos at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LDOS. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Leidos by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,729 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Leidos by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,107 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $4,602,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in Leidos by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Leidos by 25.9% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target (up previously from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 target price on Leidos and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $205.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $195.00 target price on Leidos in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $188.31.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 12,497 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.14, for a total value of $2,226,215.58. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,817 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,599,040.38. This represents a 32.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total value of $356,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,137 shares in the company, valued at $1,804,892.85. This trade represents a 16.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 22,975 shares of company stock valued at $4,078,740. 0.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Stock Performance

Leidos stock opened at $184.35 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $23.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.42, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. The stock's 50 day moving average is $184.35 and its 200 day moving average is $163.88. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.62 and a twelve month high of $202.90.

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

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is 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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