Morse Asset Management Inc Takes $363,000 Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,770 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $363,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in Leidos by 209.0% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on LDOS. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Leidos from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Leidos from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other news, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 875 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.67, for a total value of $131,836.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 44,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,651,929.83. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE LDOS traded down $2.19 during trading on Friday, hitting $149.83. 1,043,788 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 767,939. The company has a market capitalization of $20.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $89.22 and a 12-month high of $155.45.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.47 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.52%.

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.