National Bank of Canada FI Boosts Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 127.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 194,867 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 109,030 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.14% of Leidos worth $28,365,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in shares of Leidos by 122.5% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.08.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $152.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $89.22 and a fifty-two week high of $159.10. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $149.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $140.94. The stock has a market cap of $20.60 billion, a PE ratio of 65.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.69.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $4.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.52%.

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.