Bank of America Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) Stock

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) had its target price raised by Bank of America from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Bank of America‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 4.73% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Leidos from $210.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Leidos from $152.00 to $132.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Leidos in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Citigroup raised their price target on Leidos from $138.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $150.00 target price on Leidos in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.60.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS traded down $2.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $128.90. The stock had a trading volume of 343,466 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,314,188. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $127.47 and a 200-day moving average of $134.87. Leidos has a one year low of $98.86 and a one year high of $205.77. The stock has a market cap of $16.18 billion, a PE ratio of 12.01, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.56.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The aerospace company reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 30.81% and a net margin of 7.80%.Leidos’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.21 EPS. Leidos has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.200-12.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Leidos will post 12.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, July 31st that allows the company to buyback 20,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Leidos news, Director Gary May sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.85, for a total value of $140,850.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,204 shares in the company, valued at $1,437,233.40. This represents a 8.93% 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 Noel Geer sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.66, for a total value of $1,406,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 34,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,820,980.84. This represents a 22.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. SVB Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Leidos by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 23,332 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,402,000 after acquiring an additional 2,023 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Leidos by 100.1% in the second quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 10,805 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 5,405 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 5.3% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 83,951 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,644,000 after purchasing an additional 4,191 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of Leidos by 23.3% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,122 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Leidos by 3.9% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 34,300 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,532,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

About Leidos

Leidos Holdings, Inc (NYSE: LDOS) is a technology, engineering and services company that supports government and commercial customers in the defense, intelligence, civil and health markets. The company provides mission-critical solutions involving information technology, cybersecurity, data analytics, artificial intelligence, systems integration, engineering and scientific research.

Its defense and intelligence activities include command-and-control systems, mission software, surveillance and reconnaissance solutions, logistics, aircraft and weapons systems support, and national security services.