Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Given New $184.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Key Points

• Leidos has had its price target increased by UBS Group from $168.00 to $184.00, indicating a potential upside of 4.59% from its previous close.
• Overall, Leidos has received various ratings from analysts with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", supported by eight buy ratings and two strong buy ratings.
• In its latest earnings report, Leidos surpassed expectations with $3.21 earnings per share, outperforming the consensus estimate of $2.63.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by stock analysts at UBS Group from $168.00 to $184.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the aerospace company's stock. UBS Group's price target points to a potential upside of 4.59% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on LDOS. 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 report on Wednesday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird lowered Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.43.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LDOS traded up $1.44 during trading on Thursday, reaching $175.93. 458,238 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,397,204. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Leidos has a 52 week low of $123.62 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.65 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.65. The company's 50 day moving average is $156.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $146.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.58. Leidos had a return on equity of 33.57% and a net margin of 8.22%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Leidos will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Leidos during the first quarter worth about $267,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 35.0% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,630,448 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $378,942,000 after purchasing an additional 682,532 shares in the last quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 47.8% during the 4th quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 19,841 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,858,000 after purchasing an additional 6,418 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 263.7% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,706 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,849,000 after purchasing an additional 9,938 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 437,535 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $63,026,000 after purchasing an additional 4,903 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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