Norges Bank Makes New $266.42 Million Investment in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,849,364 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $266,419,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.39% of Leidos as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Leidos by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 454 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Leidos by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,738 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Leidos by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $691,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Leidos by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,197 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $749,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Leidos Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $134.77. 1,512,474 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,148,326. The company's 50 day moving average is $137.11 and its 200 day moving average is $153.52. 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 $17.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.59, 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 announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Leidos's payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LDOS. TD Cowen lowered shares of Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.07.

Leidos 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.