Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS – Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,170,000 shares, a decline of 21.5% from the October 31st total of 1,490,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 682,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Leidos Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Leidos stock traded up $1.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $108.94. 702,977 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 634,695. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 104.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.76. Leidos has a twelve month low of $76.58 and a twelve month high of $110.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.20.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 31st. The aerospace company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.78 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 0.97% and a return on equity of 22.27%. The company’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.59 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Leidos will post 7.02 EPS for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 15th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This is a positive change from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 138.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Leidos in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Argus raised shares of Leidos from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $90.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.36.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on LDOS

Insider Transactions at Leidos

In related news, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 929 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.20, for a total value of $95,872.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 39,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,030,269.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Noel B. Geer sold 2,106 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.23, for a total value of $217,402.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,085,957.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Roy E. Stevens sold 929 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.20, for a total transaction of $95,872.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 39,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,030,269.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 5,436 shares of company stock worth $567,373. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LDOS. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 17.0% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 17,563,014 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,553,976,000 after acquiring an additional 2,552,908 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Leidos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $167,042,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in Leidos by 320.1% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,246,768 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $114,902,000 after acquiring an additional 949,955 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 12.2% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,959,393 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $438,807,000 after acquiring an additional 540,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in Leidos by 36.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,808,666 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $166,687,000 after acquiring an additional 479,906 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.71% of the company’s stock.

About Leidos (Get Free Report)

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. It operates through three segments: Defense Solutions, Civil, and Health. The Defense Solutions segment offers national security solutions and systems for air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace for the U.S.

Further Reading

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Original: MarketBeat News Feed: Short Interest in Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Declines By 21.5%