Empowered Funds LLC Sells 30,020 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Empowered Funds LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 89.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,384 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 30,020 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Leidos were worth $552,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LDOS. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $189.69.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS traded down $1.91 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $163.60. The stock had a trading volume of 1,663,406 shares, compared to its average volume of 933,688. 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 1-year low of $105.52 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $170.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.45, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68.

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

Leidos Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Leidos Company Profile

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.