Board of the Pension Protection Fund Makes New Investment in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 6,300 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $908,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in Leidos by 3.5% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $297,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. now owns 2,280 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co raised its stake in Leidos by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 2,429 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Leidos by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 11,366 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Leidos by 6.3% during the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Leidos stock traded up $2.36 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $155.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 990,340 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,148,393. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $20.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $107.73 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $159.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $157.91.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for 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 firm's revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 9.89 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Leidos's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, 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, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total value of $535,777.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,899,594.97. The trade was a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $182.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Five investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $179.07.

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.