Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Given New $197.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) had its target price lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $199.00 to $197.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the aerospace company's stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on LDOS. TD Cowen cut Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Leidos in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group began coverage on Leidos in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $182.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.27.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE LDOS traded up $1.57 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $132.22. 1,752,327 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,277,481. The company has a market capitalization of $17.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $157.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Leidos has a 12-month low of $120.98 and a 12-month high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. As a group, analysts predict that Leidos will post 10.03 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, 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 Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 101.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,652 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $758,000 after acquiring an additional 2,341 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 3,896.8% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,239 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 1,208 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 72,775 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $11,862,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,406 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at $215,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.