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

Key Points

• Leidos Holdings, Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with seven analysts rating it as a hold and others issuing buy or strong buy ratings.
• The stock has a current market cap of $22.45 billion and is trading at approximately $174.44, well within its 52-week range of $123.62 to $202.90.
• Leidos recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, resulting in an annual yield of 0.9%.

Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $178.2308.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Baird R W cut Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS opened at $174.44 on Thursday. Leidos has a 52-week low of $123.62 and a 52-week high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $156.00 and a 200-day moving average of $146.66. The company has a market cap of $22.45 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.65.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Leidos will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,121,137.25. This represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. First Pacific Financial bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 422.2% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company's stock.

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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