National Pension Service Buys 56,073 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 28.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 250,531 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 56,073 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned about 0.19% of Leidos worth $40,837,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the second quarter worth $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 251.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in Leidos by 122.5% during the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on LDOS. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Leidos presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $191.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Leidos Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:LDOS traded down $1.57 on Thursday, hitting $192.63. 1,009,220 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 861,546. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $165.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $152.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.21 and a 1 year high of $198.99. The company has a market cap of $25.70 billion, a PE ratio of 21.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is an increase from Leidos's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.31%.

About Leidos

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.