DRW Securities LLC Takes $1.84 Million Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

DRW Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 11,258 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,835,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Leidos by 156.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,133,508 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $165,356,000 after purchasing an additional 691,575 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its stake in Leidos by 1,184.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 501,868 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $73,213,000 after buying an additional 462,792 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Leidos by 24,194.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 377,047 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $61,459,000 after buying an additional 375,495 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Leidos by 76.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 698,807 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $101,942,000 after buying an additional 303,775 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Leidos by 138.5% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 517,498 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $67,840,000 after buying an additional 300,486 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $165.51 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market capitalization of $22.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $105.52 and a twelve month high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm 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 earned $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 0.97%. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 17.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LDOS has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup increased their price target on 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 boosted their price objective on 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $189.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. The trade was a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Leidos Company 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.