Atwood & Palmer Inc. Purchases 4,952 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Atwood & Palmer Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 1.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 261,686 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,952 shares during the period. Leidos makes up approximately 2.4% of Atwood & Palmer Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Atwood & Palmer Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $35,312,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 422.2% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Down 1.1%

LDOS stock opened at $146.46 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $146.93 and a 200 day moving average of $145.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $18.85 billion, a PE ratio of 15.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.63. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.62 and a twelve month high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.50. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.29 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total value of $193,187.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,121,137.25. This trade represents a 5.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on LDOS. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Leidos from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.46.

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.