Eagle Asset Management Inc. Buys 3,991 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,302 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,991 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $3,635,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Leidos during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LDOS has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.69.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $165.51 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $22.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a 50 day moving average of $170.36 and a 200 day moving average of $156.32. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $105.52 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.31%.

Leidos 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.