Kentucky Retirement Systems Lowers Stock Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 5.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,443 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 559 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Leidos were worth $1,369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA purchased a new position in Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Leidos by 209.0% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on LDOS shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.83.

Leidos Trading Down 1.4 %

LDOS stock traded down $2.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $149.83. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,043,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 767,939. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.58, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $89.22 and a 1 year high of $155.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $147.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.48.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 2.04% and a return on equity of 25.66%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. Leidos’s payout ratio is currently 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 875 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.67, for a total transaction of $131,836.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 44,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,651,929.83. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Leidos Company 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.