Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Given “Buy” Rating at Truist Financial

Truist Financial reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $165.00 price target on the aerospace company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $150.00.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Leidos from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Barclays raised shares of Leidos from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Leidos from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $141.17.

Leidos Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $142.21 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $128.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.73. The stock has a market cap of $19.22 billion, a PE ratio of 61.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. Leidos has a 12-month low of $76.58 and a 12-month high of $142.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.47 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at $1,879,471.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Leidos by 209.0% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Company 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.