Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,910,000 shares, an increase of 28.2% from the October 31st total of 1,490,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,080,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LDOS. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target 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 assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.77.

Leidos Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Leidos stock traded up $1.43 on Friday, hitting $165.40. The stock had a trading volume of 620,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 934,814. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $171.29 and a 200 day moving average of $156.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos has a twelve month low of $105.52 and a twelve month 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.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Leidos will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 18.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was 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. The trade was a 14.04 % 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 Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.