StockNews.com Upgrades Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) to Strong-Buy

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen cut shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Six 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.27.

Leidos Trading Down 2.6 %

Leidos stock opened at $126.66 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market cap of $16.61 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $144.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.76. Leidos has a one year low of $123.22 and a one year high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total transaction of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Leidos by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,464 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,800,000 after purchasing an additional 3,534 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 36.4% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 23,941 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,902,000 after buying an additional 6,395 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc raised its position in shares of Leidos by 100.1% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 8,837 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,440,000 after buying an additional 4,421 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 21.4% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 55,165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,992,000 after buying an additional 9,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in Leidos during the third quarter worth about $4,622,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% 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.