Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Raises Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 33.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,646 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 2,159 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,246,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,464 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,800,000 after purchasing an additional 3,534 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 6,395 shares in the last quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,979,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,622,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS traded down $1.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $133.66. 3,989,767 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,083,413. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $17.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.46, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.23 and a 52-week high of $202.90. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $139.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $154.31.

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

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,478,287.36. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on LDOS. TD Cowen lowered shares of Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. William Blair lowered shares of Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.07.

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.