Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Still a Buy?

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 2,089,543 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 81% from the previous session's volume of 1,155,201 shares.The stock last traded at $142.00 and had previously closed at $134.96.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on LDOS shares. William Blair cut Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.07.

Leidos Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.39, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's 50 day moving average is $135.79 and its 200 day moving average is $153.04.

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

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LDOS. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Leidos by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 454 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,738 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $691,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Leidos by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,197 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $749,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.