Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. Buys 12,000 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. raised its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 133.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,000 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,000 shares during the period. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $3,025,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Leidos by 4.8% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Leidos by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 454 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted 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 in the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Leidos Price Performance

Leidos stock traded down $3.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $134.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,871,147 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,606,299. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.22 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The company has a market capitalization of $17.59 billion, a PE ratio of 14.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $141.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 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%. Analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Leidos's payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen lowered shares of Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com cut Leidos from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. William Blair downgraded shares of Leidos from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Leidos to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at $862,260.48. This trade represents a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the firm'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 value of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the transaction, 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.

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.