State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Decreases Stock Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D trimmed its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 32.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 47,295 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 22,643 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Leidos were worth $6,899,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $533,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 14,319 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after buying an additional 1,211 shares during the period. Choreo LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 3,116 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $454,000 after buying an additional 378 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,760 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $413,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on LDOS shares. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Citigroup boosted 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $155.50 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $150.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.16. The company has a market cap of $20.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.03, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.70. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $89.22 and a 12 month high of $159.10.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 65.52%.

Leidos 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.