Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Stake Boosted by Advisors Asset Management Inc.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 24.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,004 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 4,175 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $3,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Leidos by 1,460.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Leidos during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.69.

Leidos Trading Up 0.5 %

Leidos stock opened at $165.55 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $105.52 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $170.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.15.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.31%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.