Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Downgraded to “Buy” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning.

LDOS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Leidos in a report on Friday, February 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.27.

Leidos Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE LDOS opened at $136.82 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $148.78 and its 200-day moving average is $157.63. Leidos has a 1 year low of $118.40 and a 1 year high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. Equities analysts expect that Leidos will post 10.03 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.22%.

Insider Activity

In other Leidos news, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Leidos during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Leidos during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.