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

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

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. TheStreet upgraded Leidos from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Leidos from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.42.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $124.92 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.88 billion, a PE ratio of 87.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.70. Leidos has a 52 week low of $76.58 and a 52 week high of $131.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $126.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.41.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 1.29%. Leidos’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Leidos will post 7.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total value of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,413,210.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Leidos news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,471.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total value of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LDOS. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Leidos during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA purchased a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp lifted its stake in Leidos by 548.8% during the fourth quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 266 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos during the third quarter worth $30,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.