Zacks Research Brokers Cut Earnings Estimates for Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Leidos in a research note issued on Tuesday, October 8th. Zacks Research analyst A. Dutta now anticipates that the aerospace company will earn $2.43 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.52. The consensus estimate for Leidos’ current full-year earnings is $8.95 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Leidos’ FY2026 earnings at $9.85 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $172.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $166.92.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS stock opened at $164.55 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Leidos has a 1 year low of $90.30 and a 1 year high of $168.02. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $154.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $146.17.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $4.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 28.40% and a net margin of 2.72%. The company’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.80 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LDOS. Chelsea Counsel Co. boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 11,079 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth approximately $205,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth approximately $272,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $584,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Leidos by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 16,288 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,763,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % 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 corporate insiders.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.65%.

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.