Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Raised to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Leidos has been upgraded to a "buy" rating by Jefferies Financial Group, with a target price of $205.00, indicating a potential upside of 18.61%.
• The company reported earnings of $3.21 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing estimates by $0.58, alongside a revenue of $4.25 billion.
• Currently, Leidos has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy," with eight analysts$177.29.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Finviz reports. The firm currently has a $205.00 price target on the aerospace company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective points to a potential upside of 18.61% from the company's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered 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. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 target price on Leidos and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $177.29.

Leidos Stock Up 7.4%

LDOS stock opened at $172.83 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $22.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.39, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.65. Leidos has a 1-year low of $123.62 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $156.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.66. 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 (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The aerospace company reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.58. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.63 EPS. Research analysts predict that Leidos will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the company'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 sale, the director owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $3,121,137.25. This represents a 5.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its position in Leidos by 422.2% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. First Pacific Financial acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the second quarter valued at $29,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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