Magnetar Financial LLC Takes Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 39,182 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $5,645,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Leidos by 27.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,405,726 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $392,133,000 after buying an additional 522,764 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Leidos by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,504,392 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $571,216,000 after acquiring an additional 405,256 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 435.1% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 464,573 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $67,032,000 after purchasing an additional 377,756 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in Leidos by 151.6% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 548,748 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $79,053,000 after purchasing an additional 330,623 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at $40,402,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of Leidos 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 sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS traded up $1.95 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $135.78. 1,078,102 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,085,256. The company's 50 day moving average is $139.03 and its 200 day moving average is $154.15. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $123.23 and a one year high of $202.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.41 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. 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 (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given 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 1.18%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.