Quartz Partners LLC Has $2.36 Million Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Quartz Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,373 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 960 shares during the quarter. Leidos makes up 1.4% of Quartz Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Quartz Partners LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $2,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Leidos by 1,460.0% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Mather Group LLC. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 143.1% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on LDOS. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. TD Cowen downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Leidos in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.27.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS opened at $126.66 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $16.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.71, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $144.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.84. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.22 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. On average, analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.32%.

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.