Vinva Investment Management Ltd Acquires 34,820 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Vinva Investment Management Ltd grew its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 99.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,724 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,820 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd owned about 0.05% of Leidos worth $11,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LDOS. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Leidos by 138.5% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 517,498 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $67,840,000 after buying an additional 300,486 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in shares of Leidos by 1.3% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 215,979 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,313,000 after acquiring an additional 2,715 shares during the period. Comerica Bank raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 33.2% during the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 41,664 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,462,000 after acquiring an additional 10,380 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter valued at approximately $803,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in Leidos by 2,113.3% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 59,537 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $7,805,000 after purchasing an additional 56,847 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Stock Down 1.3 %

Leidos stock opened at $163.97 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $170.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.62. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $105.52 and a 1-year high of $202.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

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

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. This represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were 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 owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LDOS shares. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Leidos from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.77.

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.