Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Stake Boosted by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 1.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 168,881 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,812 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $24,636,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 74,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,082,000 after purchasing an additional 11,576 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP bought a new stake in Leidos in the first quarter valued at $2,512,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 4.9% during the first quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 166,069 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $21,770,000 after acquiring an additional 7,703 shares during the period. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the first quarter worth about $1,900,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 97.2% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,904 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,692,000 after acquiring an additional 6,360 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was 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 owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Arthur Bell purchased 1,712 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $145.04 per share, for a total transaction of $248,308.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,248,605.92. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $153.82 on Thursday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $150.97 and a 200-day moving average of $142.62. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $89.22 and a twelve month high of $159.10. The firm has a market cap of $20.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued 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 of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 65.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.08.

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.