Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Trims Holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its holdings in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) by 13.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,929 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 625 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Leidos were worth $530,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Leidos by 83.0% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,167 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 3,703 shares during the period. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter worth $1,979,000. HM Payson & Co. increased its stake in Leidos by 959.8% in the fourth quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 2,374 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 2,150 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Leidos by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,630,448 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $378,942,000 after purchasing an additional 682,532 shares during the period. Finally, MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Leidos by 47.8% in the fourth quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 19,841 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,858,000 after purchasing an additional 6,418 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS opened at $148.40 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $148.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.20. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.62 and a 1 year high of $202.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.10 billion, a PE ratio of 14.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.50. Leidos had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 7.87%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.29 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.08%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LDOS has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Leidos from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Baird R W lowered Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Leidos to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Leidos from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $163.00 price target on the stock. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In other Leidos news, Director Gregory R. Dahlberg sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,121,137.25. This trade represents a 5.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Leidos 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.