JPMorgan Chase & Co. Purchases 405,256 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 13.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,504,392 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 405,256 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 2.63% of Leidos worth $571,216,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 19,039 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,777,000 after purchasing an additional 1,703 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Leidos by 10.0% during the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,526 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Leidos by 2.1% during the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 29,105 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $4,246,000 after buying an additional 605 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its position in Leidos by 128.3% in the second quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 3,875 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 2,178 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Leidos by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 14,139 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,063,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on LDOS. Barclays upped their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird lifted 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of 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 boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $182.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Leidos Trading Down 0.8 %

LDOS traded down $1.22 on Friday, hitting $144.49. The company had a trading volume of 616,005 shares, compared to its average volume of 965,756. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $166.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $106.38 and a 12-month high of $202.90. The company has a market cap of $19.28 billion, a PE ratio of 16.46, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.64.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect 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 will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. This is an increase 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.