Candriam S.C.A. Increases Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. $LDOS

Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 39.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,375 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 2,350 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $1,321,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Kendall Capital Management grew its stake in Leidos by 93.7% in the 2nd quarter. Kendall Capital Management now owns 4,270 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $674,000 after acquiring an additional 2,065 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Leidos by 145.6% in the second quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 7,998 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,262,000 after purchasing an additional 4,742 shares during the period. McAdam LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the second quarter valued at about $286,000. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 19.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 88,927 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $12,404,000 after purchasing an additional 14,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Leidos by 26.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 10,229 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 2,126 shares during the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, insider Stephen Edward Hull sold 12,497 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.14, for a total transaction of $2,226,215.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 25,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,599,040.38. This trade represents a 32.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

Shares of LDOS stock opened at $191.09 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The company has a market capitalization of $24.43 billion, a PE ratio of 17.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $189.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.37. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.62 and a 12 month high of $205.77.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.44. Leidos had a net margin of 8.11% and a return on equity of 33.02%. The business had revenue of $4.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. Leidos has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.450-11.75 EPS. Analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on LDOS shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Leidos from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Leidos in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Leidos in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Leidos currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.23.

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.