Korea Investment CORP Sells 130,521 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Korea Investment CORP reduced its stake in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 42.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 175,496 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 130,521 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Leidos were worth $25,282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LDOS. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Leidos Stock Performance

Leidos stock opened at $133.95 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $137.51 and its 200 day moving average is $153.65. The company has a market capitalization of $17.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.50, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.23 and a twelve month high of $202.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LDOS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. TD Cowen cut shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.07.

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.