Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $182.00.

LDOS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Leidos in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $182.00 price objective for the company. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value 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 approximately $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Leidos in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Leidos during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE LDOS traded up $0.38 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $145.58. 708,241 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 968,422. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $168.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $157.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.58, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.64. Leidos has a fifty-two week low of $106.38 and a fifty-two week high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share 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 business 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 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Leidos will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is an increase from Leidos's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. Leidos's payout ratio is presently 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.