Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS) Stock Analysis 2026
BriMind AI Score
ProprietaryScore based on historical price CAGR, revenue growth, analyst upside, and valuation factors. Updated daily.
BriMind 1-Year Price Target
An even blend of the BriMind AI model's DCF and momentum target ($106.20) and Wall Street's consensus target ($151.73).
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About Leidos Holdings, Inc.
Leidos Holdings provides technology services and solutions to United States government customers, spanning defense systems, intelligence community IT, civil agency modernisation, airport and border security screening equipment, and health services including disability examinations for veterans. It is one of the largest government services contractors, competing primarily on scale, past performance qualifications, and cleared personnel.
How Leidos Makes Money
Revenue comes from government contracts across cost-plus, time-and-materials, and fixed-price structures. Margins are modest by technology standards but earnings are highly predictable, backed by long contract terms and high recompete win rates. Growth comes from winning new programmes, recompeting existing ones successfully, and expanding higher-margin product lines such as security detection equipment. Backlog, particularly funded backlog, is the central forward indicator.
Leidos Revenue & Profitability Breakdown
This chart shows how Leidos's revenue flows through to profit. Each row deducts a layer of costs: first the direct cost of making products/services (Cost of Revenue), then operating expenses like marketing and R&D, then taxes. What remains at the bottom is net income — the actual profit shareholders own. High gross and net margins indicate a business with strong pricing power and efficiency.
Key Financial Metrics
Leidos Holdings, Inc. trades at a trailing P/E of 13.15x, generates $1.15B in free cash flow, runs a debt/equity ratio of 123.28, and converts shareholder equity into profit at a 27.8% return on equity. For context: P/E ratio measures how much you pay for $1 of earnings (lower = cheaper, but fast-growing companies command higher P/E); Free Cash Flow is the cash left after running the business; Debt/Equity shows how leveraged a company is; Return on Equity shows how efficiently it turns shareholder capital into profit.
Wall Street Analyst Consensus
Wall Street analysts covering Leidos Holdings, Inc. currently haven't converged on a clear consensus rating, with a mean 12-month price target of $156.60 (+25.4% vs the current price). Analysts set these targets after researching a company's earnings, competitive position, and industry trends — Strong Buy / Buy means the majority expect meaningful upside, while Hold means fair value near the current price rather than a sell signal.
Technical Price Signals
LDOS is currently in a short-term uptrend, trading above its 50-day average of $120.51 and below its 200-day average of $154.28. Moving averages smooth out day-to-day volatility to reveal the underlying trend — a Golden Cross (50MA crosses above 200MA) is a classic bullish signal, a Death Cross is bearish, though both are lagging indicators that confirm trends rather than predict them.
LDOS Investment Case: Bull vs Bear
LDOS's investment case breaks down into 4 bull points and 4 bear points below. The bull case outlines the key reasons the stock could outperform — competitive advantages, growth catalysts, and market tailwinds. The bear case highlights the most significant risks. A strong bull case with manageable bear risks typically makes for a more compelling investment.
Bull Case (Reasons to Buy)
- Government IT and defense services demand is durable and largely insulated from commercial economic cycles.
- Large backlog with long contract durations provides revenue visibility well beyond what commercial technology companies offer.
- Security detection products carry better margins than services and benefit from airport and border screening replacement cycles.
- Substantial free cash flow supports consistent dividends and share repurchases.
Bear Case (Key Risks)
- Services margins are structurally thin, limiting earnings leverage compared with product or software businesses.
- Contract recompetes create periodic revenue risk — losing a large programme can remove significant revenue at once.
- Government shutdowns, continuing resolutions, and budget delays disrupt contract awards and revenue timing.
- Growth is largely a function of government spending levels rather than company-specific market expansion.
What to Watch: LDOS Key Metrics
LDOS Stock — Frequently Asked Questions
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