Zacks Research Issues Positive Forecast for Leidos Earnings

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) – Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Leidos in a report issued on Tuesday, March 4th. Zacks Research analyst A. Dutta now anticipates that the aerospace company will post earnings per share of $2.44 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.35. The consensus estimate for Leidos’ current full-year earnings is $10.62 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Leidos’ Q2 2025 earnings at $2.60 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.68 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.70 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $10.42 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.58 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.84 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.79 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.86 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $12.42 EPS.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The aerospace company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.13. Leidos had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 30.93%.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Leidos from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $228.00 to $153.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. William Blair cut shares of Leidos from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Leidos from $185.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Leidos from $162.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Leidos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.87.

Leidos Price Performance

LDOS opened at $133.67 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $141.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.90. The company has a market capitalization of $17.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.47, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.66. Leidos has a twelve month low of $123.22 and a twelve month high of $202.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Leidos’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.32%.

Insider Activity at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 2,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 11,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,478,287.36. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 6,408 shares in the company, 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leidos

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,135,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 422.2% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,449,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $525,000. Finally, Ascent Group LLC raised its position in shares of Leidos by 41.3% during the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 2,222 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.12% of the company’s stock.

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.