Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock Price

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) had its price objective cut by Wells Fargo & Company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the aerospace company's stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on LDOS. Barclays upped their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $187.77.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS traded up $3.11 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $166.71. 706,584 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 932,558. Leidos 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 current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. The company's 50-day moving average price is $170.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.44.

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

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. This is an increase from Leidos's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is 18.22%.

Insider Activity

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 approximately $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% 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.