Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Takes $2.97 Million Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 18,227 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,971,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Leidos during the third quarter worth $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Leidos by 251.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total value of $535,777.56. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $165.51 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $105.52 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $170.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.32.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. Leidos’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on LDOS. TD Cowen raised their target price on Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays increased their price objective on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $189.69.

Leidos 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.