Zacks Research Weighs in on Leidos' Q1 Earnings (NYSE:LDOS)

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) - Zacks Research upped their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Leidos in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, December 11th. Zacks Research analyst A. Dutta now expects that the aerospace company will post earnings per share of $2.35 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.33. The consensus estimate for Leidos' current full-year earnings is $9.89 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Leidos' Q2 2025 earnings at $2.54 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.53 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.62 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $10.04 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.76 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.61 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $10.30 EPS.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis.

LDOS has been the subject of a number of other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Leidos from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Leidos in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $182.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $182.00.

Leidos Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of LDOS stock traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $153.32. 399,485 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 948,193. The stock has a market cap of $20.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.64. Leidos has a 12 month low of $105.52 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $171.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Leidos by 160.0% in the third quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 468 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Leidos by 30.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 346,690 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $58,459,000 after buying an additional 80,642 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 16.7% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,191 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,150,000 after buying an additional 1,883 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the third quarter valued at approximately $311,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Leidos by 18.3% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,395 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $553,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other news, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total value of $535,777.56. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,899,594.97. This represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Leidos's payout ratio is 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.