Noel B. Geer Purchases 2,000 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Stock

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS stock opened at $165.51 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $170.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $105.52 and a one year high of $202.90. The firm has a market cap of $22.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. Leidos’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on LDOS shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $189.69.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 9.3% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 16,861 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,210,000 after purchasing an additional 1,437 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 95.8% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,074 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,583,000 after buying an additional 5,906 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the first quarter valued at $307,000. Natixis acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at $170,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Leidos by 97.2% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,904 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,692,000 after acquiring an additional 6,360 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.