Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Decreases Stock Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado reduced its stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,473 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 454 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,897,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA acquired a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 209.0% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 4th. Barclays raised their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Leidos from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.83.

Insider Activity

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 transaction, the insider now owns 44,149 shares in the company, valued at $6,651,929.83. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $156.00 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s 50 day moving average is $147.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.24 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 $156.00.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.59. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. Leidos’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.47 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.52%.

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.