Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for Leidos Earnings

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Leidos in a research report issued on Tuesday, November 19th. Zacks Research analyst A. Dutta now anticipates that the aerospace company will post earnings per share of $2.01 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.02. The consensus estimate for Leidos' current full-year earnings is $10.07 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Leidos' Q1 2025 earnings at $2.33 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $2.51 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.50 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.60 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $9.94 EPS and Q2 2026 earnings at $2.73 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on LDOS. Barclays lifted their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $191.23.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS opened at $162.15 on Thursday. Leidos has a 1 year low of $105.34 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.68. The company's 50-day moving average is $169.74 and its 200 day moving average is $155.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos in the third quarter worth about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Leidos news, 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 value of $535,777.56. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. This represents a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Increases Dividend

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

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.