Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems cut its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 2.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,189 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 254 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Leidos were worth $1,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Leidos by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 74,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,082,000 after buying an additional 11,576 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new position in Leidos in the first quarter worth approximately $2,512,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA grew its holdings in Leidos by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 166,069 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $21,770,000 after acquiring an additional 7,703 shares in the last quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,900,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised 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 valued at $1,692,000 after purchasing an additional 6,360 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Leidos from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Bank of America increased their price target 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. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total value of $153,798.57. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, 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.

Leidos Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:LDOS opened at $157.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.70. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.22 and a 1-year high of $159.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $151.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.91.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

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 $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 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.