Bridgewater Associates LP Acquires 12,584 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Bridgewater Associates LP raised its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 140,560 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 12,584 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Leidos were worth $22,911,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in Leidos by 1,460.0% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LDOS. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America increased their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. This 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $164.02 on Thursday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $105.52 and a 12-month high of $202.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $170.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.62. The company has a market capitalization of $21.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.31%.

Leidos 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.