Morse Asset Management Inc Buys 2,480 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Morse Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 92.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,175 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,480 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Leidos were worth $844,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,405,726 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $392,133,000 after purchasing an additional 522,764 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Leidos by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,153,420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $351,007,000 after buying an additional 53,307 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 156.5% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,133,508 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $165,356,000 after acquiring an additional 691,575 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Leidos by 51.2% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 837,370 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $136,491,000 after acquiring an additional 283,558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Leidos by 4.1% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 807,688 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $131,653,000 after purchasing an additional 31,619 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of LDOS opened at $164.14 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $171.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $157.17. 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 1 year low of $105.52 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The firm has a market cap of $21.90 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 1.10 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. Leidos’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 17.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LDOS. Truist Financial cut 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. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.36.

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.