Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS) Stock Price & How to Invest

Leidos Holdings is a large government services and technology contractor that builds and runs mission systems for U.S. federal agencies and allied governments. Its work spans intelligence and digital modernization, cybersecurity, defense systems, homeland security (including airport and border screening technology), and health services such as medical exams and health IT. Roughly the bulk of its revenue comes from the U.S. government, making it a prime contractor on long-duration programs rather than a commercial-product company.

The investment picture is one of scale, stability, and modest growth. Leidos carries a very large multi-year backlog that provides revenue visibility, generates substantial free cash flow, and has been expanding margins as it shifts toward higher-value digital and intelligence work. The trade-off is that growth is measured in the low-to-mid single digits, results depend heavily on federal appropriations and contract win rates, and the stock is valued modestly versus the broader market, reflecting both the defensiveness and the ceiling of a government-dependent model.

The overwhelming majority of Leidos revenue comes from the U.S. government, so budget delays, continuing resolutions, sequestration scenarios, and shifting administration priorities can directly pressure results. Contracts are frequently recompeted, and losing a large program or seeing an award protested can create lumpy revenue swings. Margins can be squeezed on fixed-price and cost-reimbursable work if execution slips or labor costs rise. The company also faces growing competition from both traditional peers and large commercial cloud and AI firms moving into federal work. Finally, its modest valuation reflects limited growth, so multiple expansion is not guaranteed even if execution stays solid.

15 analysts publish price targets on LDOS, averaging $150.67 against a $115.60 price as of August 2026, or +30.3%. The published targets run from $110.00 to $225.00, a wide spread, and the ratings split 7 buy, 10 hold, 0 sell. Over the last six months there have been 0 raises and 12 cuts among the published actions. A price target is what an analyst published on a date, not a prediction, and sell-side ratings skew positive across the whole market.

Read the full LDOS forecast and price target for the target table, the recent rating actions by firm, and how the consensus has shifted.

We give no verdict on Leidos Holdings, Inc.. Both cases are real, which is why the question is contested at all, so here is the strongest version of each.

The case for buying. Large backlog and revenue visibility. Leidos ended its most recent quarter with total backlog of roughly $48 billion, giving multi-year visibility into future revenue. The most optimistic published target, $225.00, assumes this works close to its best case.

The case against. The overwhelming majority of Leidos revenue comes from the U.S. The most pessimistic target, $110.00, is roughly what LDOS is worth if this bites instead.

Read the full bull and bear case on LDOS, including what would have to change to break either one. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Leidos Holdings, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker.

• Revenue (TTM): ~$17.5B
• FY2026 revenue guidance: ~$18.0B to $18.4B
• Latest quarter revenue: ~$4.4B (up ~4% YoY)
• Total backlog: ~$48B
• Market cap: ~$19B to $20B
• P/E (trailing): ~11x to 12x

In its most recent quarter (fiscal Q1 2026, ended early April 2026), Leidos posted about $4.4 billion in revenue, non-GAAP EPS of roughly $3.13, and adjusted EBITDA margin near 14%, and it raised full-year guidance. The stock trades at a low double-digit trailing P/E, a discount to the broader market that reflects its slow-growth, government-dependent profile. Figures are approximate and change with new filings and price moves.

Other names that sit close to LDOS: same theme, named as a direct competitor, or held beside it in the same funds. Each entry says which. Worth a look if you are thinking about diversification within a thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.

There are three common ways to get LDOS exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic portfolio, so LDOS sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.

Walnut takes the portfolio route. Describe a thesis where LDOS fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.

New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.

LDOS is a scaled, backlog-heavy government IT contractor whose fortunes track federal budgets, contract recompetes, and margin execution more than any single product cycle.

Whether LDOS is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is LDOS a buy or a sell?, and where the stock could go from here in the LDOS stock forecast.

For income investors, whether LDOS pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does LDOS pay a dividend? And to weigh LDOS against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: LDOS vs BAH and LDOS vs GD.