Advisory Alpha LLC Buys New Shares in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Advisory Alpha LLC purchased a new position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,468 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LDOS. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Leidos by 156.5% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,133,508 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $165,356,000 after purchasing an additional 691,575 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in Leidos by 9,164.4% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 578,561 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $62,623,000 after buying an additional 572,316 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 1,184.3% during the second quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 501,868 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $73,213,000 after buying an additional 462,792 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 76.9% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 698,807 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $101,942,000 after buying an additional 303,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 138.5% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 517,498 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $67,840,000 after acquiring an additional 300,486 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Price Performance

Leidos stock opened at $165.11 on Thursday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $89.22 and a 12-month high of $166.01. 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 50-day moving average price of $152.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.24 billion, a PE ratio of 71.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.70.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its 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 business had revenue of $4.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.80 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. Leidos’s payout ratio is 65.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LDOS. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Leidos from $172.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen upped 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. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.83.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,241.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

About Leidos

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.