UMB Bank n.a. Increases Position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 7.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,042 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vest Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter worth $994,000. Naples Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 2.3% in the first quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 54,504 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $7,355,000 after purchasing an additional 1,221 shares in the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter worth $2,819,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leidos in the first quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Leidos during the first quarter valued at $412,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.55, for a total transaction of $193,187.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $3,121,137.25. This trade represents a 5.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut 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. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. William Blair lowered shares of Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.46.

Leidos Price Performance

Leidos stock opened at $145.54 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $147.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.73 billion, a PE ratio of 15.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.62 and a 12-month high of $202.90.

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. Leidos’s payout ratio is 16.10%.

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.