Leidos (LDOS) Competitors

Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE:BAH) and Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) are both large-cap it consulting & other services companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, profitability, earnings and valuation.

Does the media favor BAH or LDOS?

In the previous week, Booz Allen Hamilton had 13 more articles in the media than Leidos. MarketBeat recorded 28 mentions for Booz Allen Hamilton and 15 mentions for Leidos. Leidos' average media sentiment score of 1.53 beat Booz Allen Hamilton's score of 1.52 indicating that Leidos is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Booz Allen Hamilton	27 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Leidos	13 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of BAH or LDOS?

91.8% of Booz Allen Hamilton shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.1% of Leidos shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of Booz Allen Hamilton shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Leidos shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Do analysts prefer BAH or LDOS?

Booz Allen Hamilton currently has a consensus price target of $134.00, indicating a potential upside of 23.79%. Leidos has a consensus price target of $179.46, indicating a potential downside of 1.01%. Given Booz Allen Hamilton's higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Booz Allen Hamilton is more favorable than Leidos.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Booz Allen Hamilton	2 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25
Leidos	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.60

Is BAH or LDOS more profitable?

Booz Allen Hamilton has a net margin of 8.70% compared to Leidos' net margin of 8.22%. Booz Allen Hamilton's return on equity of 73.05% beat Leidos' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Booz Allen Hamilton	8.70%	73.05%	11.61%
Leidos	8.22%	33.57%	11.45%

Which has more volatility & risk, BAH or LDOS?

Booz Allen Hamilton has a beta of 0.47, meaning that its stock price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Leidos has a beta of 0.65, meaning that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has higher earnings and valuation, BAH or LDOS?

Leidos has higher revenue and earnings than Booz Allen Hamilton. Booz Allen Hamilton is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Leidos, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Booz Allen Hamilton	$11.98B	1.11	$935M	$8.14	13.30
Leidos	$16.66B	1.40	$1.25B	$10.58	17.14

Is BAH or LDOS a better dividend stock?

Booz Allen Hamilton pays an annual dividend of $2.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Leidos pays an annual dividend of $1.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Booz Allen Hamilton pays out 27.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Leidos pays out 15.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Booz Allen Hamilton has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years and Leidos has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years. Booz Allen Hamilton is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Leidos beats Booz Allen Hamilton on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.