Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Shares Acquired by Magnetar Financial LLC

Magnetar Financial LLC increased its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 86.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,506 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,717 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in Leidos by 209.0% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Leidos in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 875 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.67, for a total value of $131,836.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 44,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,651,929.83. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (up previously from $150.00) on shares of Leidos in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.83.

Leidos Stock Down 1.4 %

LDOS traded down $2.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $149.83. 1,043,788 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 767,939. The company has a market cap of $20.26 billion, a PE ratio of 64.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $147.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $89.22 and a one year high of $155.45.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. The firm had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 2.04% and a return on equity of 25.66%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is 65.52%.

Leidos Profile

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.