Quest Partners LLC Decreases Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Quest Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 69.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,372 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 12,381 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC's holdings in Leidos were worth $876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Leidos during the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Leidos by 251.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE LDOS opened at $162.15 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $169.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.47, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $105.34 and a 52-week high of $202.90.

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

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Leidos's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.31%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the 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 approximately $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. The trade was a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LDOS. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two investment 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, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $191.23.

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.