Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock Price Up 5.1% - What's Next?

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 5.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $139.94 and last traded at $141.45. 268,721 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 1,058,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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Leidos Stock Down 0.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. The business's 50-day moving average is $139.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.48.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. Equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.32%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This represents 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.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP acquired a new stake in Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $545,000. 111 Capital acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth approximately $969,000. IronOak Wealth LLC. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth $883,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at about $11,135,000. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Leidos by 422.2% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.