Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Hits New 1-Year High After Dividend Announcement

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after the company announced a dividend. The company traded as high as $131.78 and last traded at $131.14, with a volume of 56564 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $130.36.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.08%. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 107.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LDOS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barclays upgraded shares of Leidos from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Leidos from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.42.

Leidos Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $18.95 billion, a PE ratio of 98.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.53.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.59. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 1.29% and a return on equity of 22.92%. Leidos’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in Leidos by 209.0% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.