Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 5,860,000 shares, a growth of 73.9% from the February 13th total of 3,370,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,520,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days. Approximately 4.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Leidos Stock Performance

Leidos stock traded up $1.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $134.59. 803,945 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,061,407. Leidos has a fifty-two week low of $123.23 and a fifty-two week high of $202.90. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $140.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.02. 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 capitalization of $17.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.72.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.93% and a net margin of 7.53%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Leidos will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s payout ratio is 17.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on LDOS shares. William Blair downgraded Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Leidos from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com cut shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Leidos has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.87.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Leidos news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.24, for a total value of $279,278.72. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,478,287.36. This represents a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,511 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.56, for a total transaction of $203,320.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $862,260.48. This represents a 19.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Leidos

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Leidos in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 422.2% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 76.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.