Robert W. Baird Boosts Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Price Target to $180.00

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its target price hoisted by Robert W. Baird from $145.00 to $180.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on LDOS. Barclays upgraded shares of Leidos from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. TheStreet raised Leidos from a c rating to a b rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Bank of America raised their target price on Leidos from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $137.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $141.17.

Leidos Stock Down 0.7 %

Leidos stock opened at $141.67 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.06, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $129.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.38. Leidos has a twelve month low of $76.58 and a twelve month high of $143.35.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. The firm had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 25.66% and a net margin of 2.04%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Leidos will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 65.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at $1,879,471.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,745 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.49, for a total value of $341,725.05. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,413,210.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David G. Fubini sold 7,874 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.89, for a total transaction of $1,007,005.86. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,696 shares in the company, valued at $1,879,471.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,923,663 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $532,937,000 after purchasing an additional 39,174 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Leidos by 6.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,660,386 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $429,501,000 after acquiring an additional 272,090 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,044,206 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $280,554,000 after acquiring an additional 169,351 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 4th quarter valued at $202,191,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Leidos by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,841,723 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $199,344,000 after purchasing an additional 45,079 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.