Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Shares Sold by Gateway Investment Advisers LLC

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC cut its stake in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 34.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,441 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,294 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Leidos were worth $329,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leidos by 422.2% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter valued at about $55,000. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Leidos Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE LDOS opened at $146.46 on Tuesday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.62 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The company has a 50-day moving average of $146.93 and a 200-day moving average of $145.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $18.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.63.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The aerospace company reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. William Blair lowered shares of Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $163.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total value of $193,187.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $3,121,137.25. This represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is owned by company 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.