StockNews.com Lowers Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) to Buy

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

LDOS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Leidos from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Leidos from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Argus raised their price objective on Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.42.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $130.33. 891,837 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 823,630. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 91.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.34. Leidos has a 52 week low of $76.58 and a 52 week high of $131.50. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $127.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.69.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.25. Leidos had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 1.29%. The firm had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.83 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Leidos will post 7.77 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total value of $341,725.05. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,413,210.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of Leidos by 47.8% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 24,006 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,212,000 after acquiring an additional 7,769 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth about $240,000. Denali Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 1,154.8% in the 3rd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 2,610 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 2,402 shares in the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 163,880 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $15,103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,410 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 107,894 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $9,944,000 after acquiring an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is 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.