StockNews.com Lowers Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) to Buy

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

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on LDOS. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Leidos from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Leidos from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Barclays raised Leidos from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Argus raised their target price on Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.42.

Leidos Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:LDOS traded up $0.45 on Friday, reaching $130.33. 891,837 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 823,630. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $127.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.69. Leidos has a 52 week low of $76.58 and a 52 week high of $131.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 91.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The aerospace company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.25. Leidos had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 1.29%. The firm had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 7.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at $1,879,471.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total value of $1,007,005.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total transaction of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,413,210.48. 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

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Leidos by 209.0% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors 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.