BNP Paribas Financial Markets Increases Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 234,351 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,140 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.18% of Leidos worth $38,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Leidos in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 251.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at $1,185,095.52. This trade represents a 14.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $161.13 per share, with a total value of $322,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Performance

NYSE LDOS opened at $163.97 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.23. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $105.52 and a fifty-two week high of $202.90.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. Leidos’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 17.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LDOS has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.77.

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.