National Pension Service Has $40.84 Million Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

National Pension Service increased its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 28.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 250,531 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 56,073 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.19% of Leidos worth $40,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LDOS. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,195 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $681,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Leidos by 10.1% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 51,115 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,701,000 after purchasing an additional 4,696 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 11.6% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,172 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,775,000 after buying an additional 2,201 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 13,108 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,718,000 after buying an additional 842 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Leidos by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 22,225 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,913,000 after buying an additional 1,545 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS opened at $194.20 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $25.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.68. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $165.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $152.75. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.21 and a 1 year high of $198.99.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on LDOS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $191.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $1,185,095.52. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

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.