Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock Rating Lowered by Baird R W

Baird R W cut shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on LDOS. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on 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 objective on shares of Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Leidos to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.46.

Leidos Stock Up 0.6%

LDOS traded up $0.92 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $148.42. The stock had a trading volume of 2,289,108 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,243,493. Leidos has a one year low of $123.62 and a one year high of $202.90. The company has a market capitalization of $19.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.65. The stock's 50 day moving average is $145.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $146.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.50. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Leidos will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,121,137.25. This trade represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 83.0% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,167 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,177,000 after buying an additional 3,703 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Leidos by 39.6% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,464 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,800,000 after buying an additional 3,534 shares in the last quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth $1,979,000. HM Payson & Co. grew its stake in Leidos by 959.8% during the 4th quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 2,374 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 2,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 35.0% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

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.