Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Short Interest Up 28.2% in November

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) saw a significant increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,910,000 shares, an increase of 28.2% from the October 31st total of 1,490,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,080,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LDOS shares. UBS Group started coverage on Leidos in a research report on Monday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $182.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Leidos from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.36.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In other news, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total value of $535,777.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at $3,899,594.97. The trade was a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Noel B. Geer purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $161.13 per share, for a total transaction of $322,260.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $322,260. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 1.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,800,357 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $945,458,000 after purchasing an additional 56,066 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Leidos by 1.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,365,903 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $546,912,000 after buying an additional 42,358 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in Leidos by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,405,726 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $392,133,000 after acquiring an additional 522,764 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Leidos by 2.5% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,153,420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $351,007,000 after acquiring an additional 53,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Leidos by 156.5% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,133,508 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $165,356,000 after acquiring an additional 691,575 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

Leidos Stock Up 0.1 %

LDOS stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $165.54. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 717,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 933,696. The company has a market cap of $22.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. Leidos has a 12 month low of $105.52 and a 12 month high of $202.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $171.29 and its 200-day moving average is $156.94.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.97. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.31% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Leidos will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is a boost from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 17.31%.

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.