Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Cut to Hold at TD Cowen

TD Cowen downgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. TD Cowen currently has $165.00 target price on the aerospace company’s stock, down from their previous target price of $200.00.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on LDOS. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Leidos in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $182.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.07.

Leidos Trading Up 2.5 %

NYSE:LDOS opened at $149.38 on Wednesday. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $160.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $157.68. Leidos has a 12-month low of $107.73 and a 12-month high of $202.90. The firm has a market cap of $19.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.01, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its 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 company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 9.89 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Leidos’s payout ratio is 18.22%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LDOS. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $297,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. now owns 2,280 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Leidos by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 2,429 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 11,366 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Leidos by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 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.