Van ECK Associates Corp Increases Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 39.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 841,479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 239,846 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Leidos were worth $121,223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Leidos by 1,460.0% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. increased its holdings in Leidos by 143.1% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director Noel B. Geer bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $322,260. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LDOS shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.27.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS stock opened at $130.50 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $148.21 and a 200-day moving average of $157.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.31 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.66.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

Leidos 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.