Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $170.15 and last traded at $169.74, with a volume of 40791 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $169.52.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on LDOS shares. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Citigroup raised their price target on Leidos from $169.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Leidos from $172.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $166.92.

Leidos Trading Down 1.3 %

The company has a market cap of $22.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.52, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $158.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.71.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.36. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The company had revenue of $4.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.80 earnings per share. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.65%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was 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 $1,622,241.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at $1,082,689.65. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Key Financial Inc raised its stake in Leidos by 6.5% during the second quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 1,141 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its position in Leidos by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co lifted its stake in Leidos by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 2,429 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC boosted its position in Leidos by 0.8% in the third quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 11,366 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,878,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 6.3% during the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.