Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service decreased its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 235,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 14,755 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned about 0.18% of Leidos worth $33,966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 27.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,405,726 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $392,133,000 after acquiring an additional 522,764 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Leidos by 13.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,504,392 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $571,216,000 after acquiring an additional 405,256 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Leidos by 39.9% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 841,479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $121,223,000 after acquiring an additional 239,846 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Leidos by 53.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 576,022 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $93,891,000 after acquiring an additional 199,686 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 185.3% during the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 157,379 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $22,672,000 after buying an additional 102,214 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Up 0.2 %

LDOS opened at $129.92 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $142.59 and its 200-day moving average is $156.16. The company has a market capitalization of $17.04 billion, a PE ratio of 14.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $123.22 and a one year high of $202.90.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 17.32%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LDOS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays lifted their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.87.

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.