Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target Cut to $191.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its target price trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $197.00 to $191.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays increased their price target on Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.87.

Leidos Stock Performance

LDOS opened at $129.92 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $142.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.16. Leidos has a 1 year low of $123.22 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. Equities analysts expect that Leidos will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total value of $203,320.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,260.48. This trade represents a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Leidos by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 454 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Leidos by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,738 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $691,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,197 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.