Gabelli Funds LLC Makes New Investment in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Gabelli Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,430 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $209,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 122.5% during the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Leidos in the first quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS opened at $159.69 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $89.22 and a fifty-two week high of $160.32. The company has a market capitalization of $21.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.21.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $4.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 2.72% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued 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 0.95%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,241.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,622,241.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,082,689.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on LDOS shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Leidos from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Barclays increased their target price on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.08.

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.