Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 19.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 72,245 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 17,855 shares during the period. Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Leidos worth $10,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Leidos by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,464 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,800,000 after purchasing an additional 3,534 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co increased its position in shares of Leidos by 36.4% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 23,941 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,902,000 after acquiring an additional 6,395 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in shares of Leidos by 100.1% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 8,837 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,440,000 after acquiring an additional 4,421 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Leidos by 21.4% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 55,165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,992,000 after acquiring an additional 9,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos during the third quarter valued at about $4,622,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen cut shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.27.

Insider Activity at Leidos

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

Leidos Trading Down 2.6 %

NYSE LDOS opened at $126.66 on Monday. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.22 and a 52 week high of $202.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.61 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $144.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.84.

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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.32%.

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.