Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on LDOS. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Leidos from $199.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup upped their target price on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Leidos from $180.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.27.

Leidos Price Performance

Leidos stock opened at $130.55 on Tuesday. Leidos has a 12 month low of $123.22 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $143.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.12 billion, a PE ratio of 14.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.32%.

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related 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 transaction of $279,278.72. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 approximately $862,260.48. The trade was a 19.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LDOS. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% during 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 period. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.