Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 27,283 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 613,284 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 27,283 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.46% of Leidos worth $88,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,464 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,800,000 after purchasing an additional 3,534 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co lifted its position in Leidos by 36.4% in the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 23,941 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,902,000 after buying an additional 6,395 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in shares of Leidos by 100.1% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 8,837 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,440,000 after buying an additional 4,421 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 55,165 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $8,992,000 after acquiring an additional 9,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the third quarter worth $4,622,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LDOS. TD Cowen cut Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $176.27.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS traded down $3.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $126.66. 2,569,823 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,513,318. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.71, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.66. The company's 50-day moving average price is $144.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.22 and a 1-year high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is 17.32%.

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.