William Blair Has Bullish Forecast for Leidos Q4 Earnings

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) – Equities research analysts at William Blair lifted their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for Leidos in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, October 29th. William Blair analyst L. Dipalma now anticipates that the aerospace company will earn $2.13 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.10. The consensus estimate for Leidos’ current full-year earnings is $8.96 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Leidos’ FY2025 earnings at $10.21 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on LDOS. Citigroup increased their price objective on Leidos from $194.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Leidos from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leidos presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.77.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS opened at $185.71 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Leidos has a 12-month low of $94.57 and a 12-month high of $188.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $161.89 and a 200-day moving average of $150.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.22, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.70.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a return on equity of 28.40% and a net margin of 2.72%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Leidos during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Leidos by 251.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Leidos during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in Leidos by 122.5% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Leidos’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.65%.

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.