Q2 2024 Earnings Forecast for Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Issued By William Blair

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) - Stock analysts at William Blair upped their Q2 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of Leidos in a research note issued on Tuesday, April 30th. William Blair analyst L. Dipalma now forecasts that the aerospace company will post earnings of $2.23 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.99. The consensus estimate for Leidos' current full-year earnings is $7.77 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Leidos' Q3 2024 earnings at $2.07 EPS and Q4 2024 earnings at $2.09 EPS.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. Leidos had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 1.29%. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.47 earnings per share. Leidos's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on LDOS. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Leidos from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Argus boosted their price target on Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Leidos from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, TheStreet raised Leidos from a "c" rating to a "b" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $141.17.

Leidos Trading Up 1.4 %

Leidos stock traded up $1.99 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $142.21. The stock had a trading volume of 1,950,221 shares, compared to its average volume of 880,146. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. Leidos has a 12 month low of $76.58 and a 12 month high of $142.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.22 billion, a PE ratio of 100.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.73.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 209.0% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total value of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. Leidos's payout ratio is currently 107.04%.

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.