Stifel Financial Corp Increases Stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 8.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 157,765 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,940 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned approximately 0.12% of Leidos worth $25,716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LDOS. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,311 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $337,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Leidos by 69.1% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 16,780 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,448,000 after purchasing an additional 6,858 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 6.5% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 25,766 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $3,759,000 after buying an additional 1,572 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at about $217,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Leidos by 37.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 36,134 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,271,000 after buying an additional 9,903 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LDOS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $187.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total transaction of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Leidos Trading Down 1.7 %

NYSE LDOS traded down $2.84 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $160.31. The company had a trading volume of 1,252,501 shares, compared to its average volume of 941,254. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.64. 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 $105.52 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $171.81 and a 200 day moving average of $157.46.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company 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 $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Leidos's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. 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.