Sienna Gestion Acquires New Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Sienna Gestion bought a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 23,296 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,356,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Leidos by 83.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,167 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 3,703 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,464 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,800,000 after buying an additional 3,534 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co raised its position in Leidos by 36.4% in the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 23,941 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,902,000 after buying an additional 6,395 shares during the last quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. bought a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,979,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc boosted its position in Leidos by 100.1% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 8,837 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,440,000 after acquiring an additional 4,421 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Leidos Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:LDOS opened at $132.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.22 and a 52-week high of $202.90. The company has a market capitalization of $17.41 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a fifty day moving average of $140.67 and a 200-day moving average of $155.17.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. On average, equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LDOS. TD Cowen downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. William Blair cut Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.87.

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.