Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS – Free Report) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 6,661 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $812,000.
Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,024,436,000. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Leidos by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,277,845 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $646,430,000 after acquiring an additional 161,407 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Leidos by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,859,616 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $289,193,000 after acquiring an additional 47,542 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Leidos by 16.8% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,004,347 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $103,418,000 after acquiring an additional 144,716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Leidos during the second quarter valued at approximately $77,623,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Leidos Stock Down 0.2%
Shares of Leidos stock opened at $139.38 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.63. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.86 and a 52-week high of $205.77. The firm has a market cap of $17.49 billion, a PE ratio of 13.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $129.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.15.
Leidos (NYSE:LDOS – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The aerospace company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.35. Leidos had a net margin of 7.80% and a return on equity of 30.81%. The business had revenue of $4.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 12.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Leidos declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Friday, July 31st that permits the company to buy back 20,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Share repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.
Leidos Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.04%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, Director Noel Geer sold 10,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.66, for a total value of $1,406,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 34,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,820,980.84. This trade represents a 22.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gary May sold 1,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.85, for a total value of $140,850.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,437,233.40. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Leidos from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Leidos from $152.00 to $132.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Leidos from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $142.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Leidos in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $156.14.
View Our Latest Research Report on Leidos
About Leidos
Leidos Holdings, Inc (NYSE: LDOS) is a technology, engineering and science company that provides services and solutions to government and commercial customers. Its work supports defense, intelligence, civil government, health and transportation missions, with offerings that include information technology modernization, systems integration, cybersecurity, data analytics, artificial intelligence, engineering and mission operations.
The company also provides health technology and scientific services, transportation management systems, aviation and security solutions, and support for complex government programs.
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