Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on LDOS. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen downgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group cut their price target on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.07.

Leidos Trading Down 2.4 %

LDOS stock traded down $3.48 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $139.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,090,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,169,265. Leidos has a 1 year low of $123.23 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.09, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Leidos will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 422.2% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in Leidos by 143.1% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 265 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.