Barclays PLC Buys 199,686 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 53.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 576,022 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 199,686 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.43% of Leidos worth $93,891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of Leidos stock traded down $0.55 during trading on Thursday, hitting $153.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,844,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 950,578. The stock has a market cap of $20.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $105.52 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $171.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $157.57.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a positive change from Leidos's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Thursday. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Leidos in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $182.00 price target for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $182.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the business'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 transaction of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. The trade was a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.