Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of Leidos Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has lowered its Q3 2025 earnings per share estimate for Leidos to $2.60, down from $2.62, while the current full-year earnings estimate remains at $10.62 per share.
• Several analysts have issued mixed ratings on Leidos, with Jefferies Financial Group upgrading the stock to "buy," while Robert W. Baird downgraded it to "neutral."
• Leidos has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, set to be paid on September 30th, with a current annualized yield of 0.9%.

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Leidos in a research note issued on Tuesday, August 26th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the aerospace company will post earnings per share of $2.60 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.62. The consensus estimate for Leidos' current full-year earnings is $10.62 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Leidos' Q4 2025 earnings at $2.59 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $11.37 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.78 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.96 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.35 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $11.65 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.87 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $12.49 EPS.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.58. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 33.57% and a net margin of 8.22%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $178.00 price objective on Leidos and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Leidos from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (up previously from $186.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $179.46.

Leidos Trading Down 0.3%

LDOS stock traded down $0.48 during trading on Friday, hitting $180.88. 671,024 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 889,780. The company has a 50-day moving average of $167.62 and a 200-day moving average of $151.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.62. Leidos has a 1 year low of $123.62 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.21 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.71.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LDOS. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Pacific Financial purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Optimum Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 260.0% in the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 234 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 952 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.43, for a total value of $168,913.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,068 shares in the company, valued at $3,738,095.24. This trade represents a 4.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 7,526 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.39, for a total value of $1,327,511.14. Following the sale, the insider owned 26,481 shares in the company, valued at $4,670,983.59. This represents a 22.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,478 shares of company stock valued at $1,852,525. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.12%.

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.