Leidos Stock Climbs 14% On An 8-Day Winning Streak

LDOSYTD-23.9%SPYYTD+12.0%XLIYTD+6.7%
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Leidos (LDOS) stock is on an 8-day winning streak, up 13.7% since the run began. That added about $2.1 billion to the company’s market value, which now stands at about $17.1 billion. The stock closed at $136.08 on Friday, October 23, 31.0% below its 52-week high of $197.27 and 36.5% above its low of $99.68.

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LDOS Versus The S&P 500

Returns for LDOS and the S&P 500 over the streak and the periods around it, all ending Friday, October 23 and including dividends:
 

Return Period LDOS S&P 500
1 Day 1.0% -0.5%
8 Days (Current Streak) 13.7% -2.3%
1 Month (21 Trading Days) 10.3% -1.0%
3 Months (63 Trading Days) 18.8% 3.1%
Year To Date -23.9% 12.4%
1 Year (252 Trading Days) -27.0% 15.1%

A Stock-Specific Run, Or A Market Move?

Over the same 8 trading days, the S&P 500 returned -2.3% including dividends, so the run is mostly Leidos’ own story rather than the market’s. 1 other S&P 500 stock is currently on winning streaks of 8 days or longer. Over the past three months the stock is up 18.8%, a window that includes the streak; over the other 55 sessions of that window it was up 4.5%.

What The Numbers Say About The Rally

On the fundamentals, revenue grew 3.4% over the last twelve months, against a median of 7.8% for S&P 500 Industrials stocks; its operating margin is 11.8%, versus a median of 17.6%; and the stock trades at 12.5 times trailing earnings against a median of 26.3. The read is mixed: a multiple below the median on one side, revenue growth below the median and margins below the median on the other.

A climb like this is worth respecting, and worth testing. Our Guidance Momentum screen tracks the stocks whose companies just raised their own forward numbers.

Streaks End. Discipline Compounds

A run like this is genuinely useful information: something about this business has the market’s full attention. But streaks are where discipline gets tested, because the urge to chase strength is strongest right before it pauses.

The Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio channels that urge into a system: roughly 30 businesses selected for consistent cash generation, strong margins, and resilient balance sheets, sized and rebalanced with rules rather than excitement. It has a track record of outpacing a benchmark that combines the S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400, and the Russell 2000. Enjoy the streak; own the process.