Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at TD Cowen

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) was upgraded by equities researchers at TD Cowen to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on LDOS. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays upped their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.00.

Leidos Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:LDOS opened at $144.81 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.59. Leidos has a 1 year low of $105.52 and a 1 year high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. Leidos’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. The trade was a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total value of $535,777.56. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Leidos in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Leidos in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Leidos by 251.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% 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.