Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target Lowered to $185.00 at Truist Financial

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its price target lowered by Truist Financial from $205.00 to $185.00 in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. 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 shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $189.69.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LDOS opened at $163.59 on Friday. Leidos has a fifty-two week low of $105.52 and a fifty-two week high of $202.90. The stock has a market cap of $21.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $170.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $156.44.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 18.22%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. The trade was a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $322,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 bought a new position in Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.