Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Makes New Investment in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,910 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup increased their target price on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.00.

Insider Activity

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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE:LDOS opened at $150.17 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $170.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.52 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.04 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.64.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.22%.

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.