Leidos Holdings
LDOS on NYSE. Leidos sells technology and services to government and commercial customers. Market value $15.0bn.
Price checks use the past 12 months to June 2026. Quality checks use five annual reports, the latest for the year to December 2025.
Should I look at this?
Worth a closer look
Why it could be worth it
What to watch out for
Nothing stood out in the numbers we check.
This is not advice. Check the numbers below.
For every $100 of what the whole company costs, it produced $14.77 of spare cash in the past 12 months. A savings account pays about $4.
You pay 9.8 years of operating profit for the business. The average large US company costs around 18.
Each dollar kept in the business earns 11 cents a year. Above 10 is good.
Quality score: 85 of 100. Price score: 100 of 100. Our list needs 70 on quality and 60 on price.
$116.69 a share, 18% above its 1-year low
Over the past year the price has ranged from $98.86 to $205.77.
Dividend: 1.4% a year
Paid every year for at least 5 years
Prices from Tuesday’s close (6 October).
Five years of cash, in billions
| Revenue | |||||
| Revenue | $13.7bn | $14.4bn | $15.4bn | $16.7bn | $17.2bn |
| Operating margin | |||||
| Operating margin | 8.4% | 7.6% | 4.0% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| Debt to equity | |||||
| Debt to equity | 1.18 | 1.30 | 1.11 | 1.06 | 0.95 |
| Shares outstanding | |||||
| Shares outstanding | 0.14bn | 0.14bn | 0.13bn | 0.13bn | 0.13bn |
Health checks
- Free cash flow positive5 of 5 years
- Accounting looks honest (Beneish)Nothing unusual
- Financial strength (Piotroski)8 of 9
- Profit backed by cash (accruals)Yes
- Debt0.95× equity
- Revenue growth, five yearsSlow, 6.9% a year
- Buying back its own sharesYes, 8% fewer since 2021
The quarter to June 2026
How the business did, compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Sales: $4.6 billion last quarter, up 7% on a year ago.
- Profit: $354 million, down 9% on a year ago.
- It keeps 12 cents of each $1 of sales as operating profit, about the same as a year earlier.
- Spare cash over the past 12 months: $2.2 billion, up from $1.3 billion.
- 3% fewer shares than a year ago. Each share owns a bit more of the company.
- Debt is $5.3 billion more than cash, up from $4.2 billion a year ago.
- Sales grew on a year ago in 3 of the last 4 quarters.
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $4.2bn |
| December 2024 | $4.4bn |
| March 2025 | $4.2bn |
| June 2025 | $4.3bn |
| September 2025 | $4.5bn |
| December 2025 | $4.2bn |
| March 2026 | $4.4bn |
| June 2026 | $4.6bn |
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $364m |
| December 2024 | $284m |
| March 2025 | $363m |
| June 2025 | $391m |
| September 2025 | $367m |
| December 2025 | $327m |
| March 2026 | $328m |
| June 2026 | $354m |
From the company's quarterly reports to the SEC.
Dates
- Next results (estimated)
- 3 November 2026
- Last annual report (10-K)
- 17 February 2026
- Next quarterly (estimated, 10-Q)
- 3 November 2026
Who owns it
7 long-term investors we follow own it, unchanged from 7 last quarter. 769 funds in all.
- Pzena Investment ManagementRichard Pzena
- Value
- $26m
- Share of fund
- <0.1%
| Fund | Value | Share of that fund | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston PartnersBoston Partners team | $178m | 0.2% | Cut |
| Hotchkis & WileyHotchkis & Wiley team | $169m | 0.5% | New |
| LSV Asset ManagementJosef Lakonishok | $37m | <0.1% | Added |
| Pzena Investment ManagementRichard Pzena | $26m | <0.1% | |
| Gotham Asset ManagementJoel Greenblatt | $19m | <0.1% | Cut |
| GMOJeremy Grantham | $6m | <0.1% | Added |
| Heartland AdvisorsBill Nasgovitz | $3m | 0.1% | Cut |
Sold out this quarter
- Delphi ManagementScott BlackSold out
Largest holders overall
- BlackRock$1.0bnAdded
- Vanguard Capital Management$846m
- State Street$646mAdded
- Vanguard Portfolio Management$553m
- JPMorgan Chase$385mCut
- Geode Capital Management$377m
- Invesco$323mAdded
- First Trust Advisors LP$286mAdded
- Dimensional Fund Advisors LP$219mAdded
- Massachusetts Financial Services$209mAdded
From 13F filings for the quarter ended 30 June 2026.
Big holders and activists
2 investors own more than 5%.
- Vanguard Capital ManagementPassive investor7.5%Since 31 March 2026
- BlackRock, Inc.Passive investor6.7%Since 31 March 2025
- The Vanguard GroupPassive investorSold down below 5%Since 13 March 2026
| Holder | Stake | Since | |
|---|---|---|---|
Vanguard Capital Management Passive investor | 7.5% | 31 March 2026 | |
BlackRock, Inc. Passive investor | 6.7% | 31 March 2025 | |
The Vanguard Group Passive investor | Sold down below 5% | 13 March 2026 |
From Schedule 13D and 13G filings: anyone owning more than 5% must file one.
What insiders did
No insider bought shares on the open market in the last 12 months. 3 sold $3m, $1m of it under preset trading plans.
- May Gary StephenDirectorSold
- Date
- 1 September 2026
- Shares
- 1,000
- Price
- $140.85
- Value
- $140,845
- Geer Noel BDirectorSold
- Date
- 11 August 2026
- Shares
- 10,000
- Price
- $140.66
- Value
- $1m
- May Gary StephenDirectorSold
- Date
- 7 May 2026
- Shares
- 1,484
- Price
- $132.75
- Value
- $197,001
- Porter Elizabeth ASector PresidentSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 7 April 2026
- Shares
- 2,000
- Price
- $158.77
- Value
- $317,549
- Porter Elizabeth ASector PresidentSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 20 January 2026
- Shares
- 3,000
- Price
- $192.21
- Value
- $576,630
- Porter Elizabeth ASector PresidentSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 19 December 2025
- Shares
- 3,000
- Price
- $181.04
- Value
- $543,130
| Date | Who | Did | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 September 2026 | May Gary Stephen Director | Sold | 1,000 | $140.85 | $140,845 |
| 11 August 2026 | Geer Noel B Director | Sold | 10,000 | $140.66 | $1m |
| 7 May 2026 | May Gary Stephen Director | Sold | 1,484 | $132.75 | $197,001 |
| 7 April 2026 | Porter Elizabeth A Sector President | Sold under a preset trading plan | 2,000 | $158.77 | $317,549 |
| 20 January 2026 | Porter Elizabeth A Sector President | Sold under a preset trading plan | 3,000 | $192.21 | $576,630 |
| 19 December 2025 | Porter Elizabeth A Sector President | Sold under a preset trading plan | 3,000 | $181.04 | $543,130 |
From Form 4 filings: insiders must report trades in their own company's shares within two days.
Warning signs in its filings
Problems the company itself reported to the SEC, in its own words.
None of the warning signs we check for were found.
We look for five warning signs: doubt it can keep going, weak checks on its own accounts, a notice that its past accounts can't be relied on, a change of auditor, and one customer bringing in a big share of sales. We don't check lawsuits, investigations or debt yet.
We checked the auditor's report, internal controls, restatement notices, auditor changes and big customers in the 10-K filed 17 Feb 2026, plus the 10-Q filed 4 Aug 2026 and 7 later 8-Ks.
A 10-K is the yearly report every US company files with the SEC. An 8-K is a short notice of a big event.
What could go wrong
Cheap for a reason is the question the numbers cannot answer.
Whether the price already reflects the risks is what the deep dive is for.
What changed in the risks this year
Companies must list what could hurt them each year. These are the parts that changed since last year’s report.
Changes in tax laws and regulations or exposure to additional tax liabilities could adversely affect our financial results.
On July 4, 2025, H.R.1 Reconciliation Act, commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ("OBBBA") was enacted. The OBBBA includes significant provisions, such as the permanent extension of certain expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, modifications to the international tax framework and the restoration of favorable tax treatment for certain business deductions. The legislation has multiple effective dates, with certain provisions effective in 2025 and others implemented through 2027. The OBBBA had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2025. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources” in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contained within this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information on the impact of this change.
Read moreOur failure to comply with various complex procurement rules and regulations could result in us being liable for penalties, including termination of our U.S. government contracts, disqualification from bidding on future U.S. government contracts and suspension or debarment from U.S. government contracting.
Could happenIn addition, proposed comprehensive reforms to the Federal Acquisition Regulations, including those contemplated under Executive Order 14275, “Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement,” issued on April 15, 2025, could create uncertainty in our contracting environment and impact our business. These reforms may result in changes to procurement processes, evaluation criteria, cost allowability, compliance obligations, or reporting requirements that could increase our administrative burden and operating costs. Transition period or inconsistencies in the implementation of new rules may delay contract awards, complicate bid strategies, or require modifications to existing contracting practices. In addition, to the extent the proposed reforms ultimately expand the ability of commercial firms to compete for defense and other federal contracts, we may face heightened competition from new market entrants with different cost structures, procurement models, or technological approach, which could pressure our pricing, reduce our win rates, or erode our market share. If we are unable to adapt efficiently to revised federal procurement requirements, our competitiveness, performance under existing contracts, and financial results could be adversely affected. The Company continues to evaluate the potential impact for any proposed or contemplated reforms.
Read moreWe utilize artificial intelligence, which could expose us to liability or adversely affect our business, especially if we are unable to compete effectively with others in adopting artificial intelligence.
Could happencompetitive position and business. Further, any output created by us using AI tools may not be subject to copyright protection, which may adversely affect our intellectual property rights in, or ability to commercialize or use, any such content. In the U.S., a number of civil lawsuits have been initiated related to the foregoing and other concerns, any one of which may, among other things, require us to limit the ways in which our AI systems are trained and may affect our ability to develop our AI-powered products and solutions. If we do not have sufficient rights to use the data or other material or content on which the AI tools we use rely, we also may incur liability through the violation of applicable laws and regulations, third-party intellectual property, data privacy, or other rights, or contracts to which we are a party.
Read moreJoint ventures, other strategic alliances, and strategic business transactions may not achieve intended results. We may experience operational challenges in integrating or segregating assets for such a venture or transaction.
Could happenWe continuously evaluate and may in the future enter into additional strategic business transactions. Any such transactions could happen at any time, could be material to our business, and could take any number of forms, including, for example, an acquisition, merger, sale or distribution of certain assets, refinancing, or other recapitalization or material strategic transaction. There can be no assurance that our joint ventures, strategic alliances, or additional strategic business transactions will be beneficial to us, whether due to the above-described risks, unfavorable global economic conditions, increases in costs, foreign currency fluctuations, political risks, government interventions, retained liabilities, indemnification obligations, or other factors. Evaluating potential transactions and integrating completed ones may divert the attention of our management from ordinary operating matters. In addition, to the extent we consummate an agreement for the sale and disposition of an asset or asset group we may experience operational difficulties segregating them from our retained assets and operations, which could impact the execution or timing of such dispositions and could result in disruptions to our operations and/or claims for damages, among other things.
Read moreWe utilize artificial intelligence, which could expose us to liability or adversely affect our business, especially if we are unable to compete effectively with others in adopting artificial intelligence.
Could happenAdditionally, if any of our employees, contractors, consultants, vendors or service providers use any third-party AI-powered software in connection with our business or the services they provide to us, it may lead to the inadvertent disclosure or incorporation of our confidential information into publicly available training sets, which may impact our ability to realize the benefit of, or adequately maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property or confidential information, harming our
Read more
The deep dive
Everything above is arithmetic on public filings. The deep dive reads the last ten years of annual reports, the proxy statements, and the earnings calls, then argues the case the way Buffett, Klarman, and Hohn would, and checks every claim against the source.
- What the business is worth, as a range, and the margin of safety at today’s price
- Prices to start buying, buy, and buy hard
- The three things that would make this a mistake
- Every number footnoted to the filing it came from
Your first deep dive is free.
Not advice. Numbers on this page come from SEC filings and are updated each night; prices are updated again after the US market closes. The five-year figures are rounded.