UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock

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 upped by investment analysts at UBS Group from $168.00 to $184.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the aerospace company's stock. UBS Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 3.82% from the company's previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on LDOS. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 price target on shares of Leidos and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (up from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday, July 14th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $179.46.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE LDOS traded up $0.73 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $177.23. 900,437 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 868,713. Leidos has a 52-week low of $123.62 and a 52-week high of $202.90. The company has a market capitalization of $22.74 billion, a PE ratio of 16.75, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The firm's 50-day moving average is $158.33 and its 200-day moving average is $147.21.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.58. Leidos had a net margin of 8.22% and a return on equity of 33.57%. 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 company earned $2.63 EPS. Leidos's revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Leidos will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Empirical Finance LLC raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 138.9% in the 2nd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 11,040 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,742,000 after purchasing an additional 6,419 shares in the last quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at $227,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at $324,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 42,529 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,709,000 after purchasing an additional 3,273 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at $980,000. 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.