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

Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,302 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,991 shares during the quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $3,635,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the third 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 position in Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Leidos by 251.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on LDOS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $189.69.

Insider Activity

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS stock traded down $1.91 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $163.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,663,406 shares, compared to its average volume of 933,688. The company has a market cap of $21.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.45, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. The firm's 50-day moving average is $170.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.32. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $105.52 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23.

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

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. This is a positive change from Leidos's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.22%.

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.