William Blair Weighs in on Leidos Holdings, Inc.’s FY2024 Earnings (NYSE:LDOS)

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) – Analysts at William Blair upped their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Leidos in a research note issued on Tuesday, April 30th. William Blair analyst L. Dipalma now expects that the aerospace company will post earnings of $8.69 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $7.84. The consensus estimate for Leidos’ current full-year earnings is $8.60 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Leidos’ FY2025 earnings at $9.56 EPS.

LDOS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Leidos from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays raised Leidos from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.17.

Leidos Stock Performance

Shares of LDOS opened at $142.21 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.73. The firm has a market cap of $19.22 billion, a PE ratio of 61.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos has a 12-month low of $76.58 and a 12-month high of $142.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.59. Leidos had a net margin of 2.04% and a return on equity of 25.66%. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. Leidos’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 24,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,172,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 31,662 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,427,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 1.1% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 10,858 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Leidos by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 5,756 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Leidos by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 5,378 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $582,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

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

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.52%.

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.