Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Insider Stephen Edward Hull Sells 7,526 Shares

Key Points

• Insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 7,526 shares of Leidos Holdings at an average price of $176.39, totaling over $1.3 million, reducing his stake by 22.13%.
• Leidos reported an EPS of $3.21 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and reflecting a 2.9% revenue increase year-over-year.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.40 will be paid on September 30th, with an annualized yield of 0.9% and a dividend payout ratio of 15.12%.

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 7,526 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.39, for a total value of $1,327,511.14. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 26,481 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,670,983.59. This represents a 22.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS stock traded up $0.76 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $177.90. 823,818 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,391,109. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.65. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.62 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $158.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $147.21.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 8.22% and a return on equity of 33.57%. The firm's revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LDOS shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Leidos from $168.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target (up from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $179.46.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 73.5% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 25,789 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $3,822,000 after buying an additional 10,926 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter worth about $40,402,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Leidos by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 12,129 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,747,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in Leidos by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 33,440 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $4,817,000 after purchasing an additional 5,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Leidos by 41.7% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 1,980 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

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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