Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $176.46.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th.

Leidos Trading Up 0.8%

LDOS opened at $149.38 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $148.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $144.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.42. Leidos has a one year low of $123.62 and a one year high of $202.90.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Leidos's payout ratio is currently 16.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total value of $193,187.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,121,137.25. This trade represents a 5.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 422.2% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Leidos during the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Leidos by 260.0% during the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 234 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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