Leidos Holdings' (LDOS) Q2 Earnings Beat, 2019 EPS View Up
Leidos Holdings, Inc.’s LDOS second-quarter 2019 adjusted earnings of $1.16 per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.10 by 5.5%. The bottom line also increased 3.6% from $1.12 registered a year ago. This uptick can be attributed to solid revenues and operating income growth.
However, the company’s GAAP earnings of 93 cents per share slipped from the year-ago figure of 94 cents.
Total Revenues
Leidos Holdings generated total revenues of $2,728 million in the quarter under consideration, which exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,637 million by 3.5%. The top line also improved 7.9% year over year backed by growth across all its segments.
Leidos Holdings, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Leidos Holdings, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Leidos Holdings, Inc. Quote
Backlog
At the end of the reported quarter, the company’s total backlog was $21.7 billion compared with $21.5 billion at the end of the first quarter. Of this total backlog, $6.3 billion was funded.
Operational Statistics
Total cost of revenues in the second quarter increased by 9.1% to $2,348 million. Operating income totaled $210 million compared with $199 million in the year-ago period. This upside was driven by decrease in integration and restructuring costs.
As a result, the operating margin contracted to 7.7% from 7.9% in the year-ago quarter.
Interest expenses summed $33 million compared with $35 million in the prior-year quarter.
Segmental Performance
Defense Solutions: Net revenues at this segment increased 6.7% to $1,346 million from the prior-year figure of $1,262 million. This improvement can be primarily attributed to new awards that the segment received in the quarter under review.
Also, the segment’s operating income rose 7.4% to $101 million from the year-ago income of $94 million, with the operating margin having expanded 10 basis points (bps) to 7.5%.
Health: The segment recorded revenues of $501 million in the second quarter, up 11.1% year over year. The uptick was primarily driven by a net increase in program volumes and new awards.
However, operating income declined 10.3% to $61 million, while operating margin contracted 290 bps to 12.2%.
Civil: Revenues at this segment amounted to $881 million, up 8% year over year. New awards and a net increase in program volumes lead to the upside.
While operating income rose 13.3% to $68 million, operating margin expanded 30 bps to 7.7%.
Financials
Cash and cash equivalents as of Jun 28, 2019, were $660 million compared with $327 million as of Dec 28, 2018. Net cash provided by operating activities at the end of second-quarter 2019 amounted to $186 million compared with $271 million a year ago.
2019 Guidance
Leidos Holdings has partially raised its outlook for 2019. The company currently expects its adjusted earnings to be in the $4.50-$4.75 range, up from $4.30-$4.65 anticipated earlier. The Zacks Consensus Estimates for 2019 earnings is pegged at $4.60, below the mid-point of the company’s projected view.
Moreover, the company expects 2019 revenues in the range of $10.65-$10.95 billion compared with the earlier band of $10.5-$10.9 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimates for revenues stands at $10.73 billion, below the mid-point of the company guided range.
However, the company’s cash flow from operating activities is still anticipated to be around $825 million at 2019 end.
Zacks Rank
Leidos Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Recent Defense Releases
Textron Inc. TXT reported second-quarter 2019 earnings from continuing operations of 93 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 85 cents by 9.4%.
Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT reported second-quarter 2019 earnings of $5 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.74 by 5.5%.
Hexcel Corporation HXL reported second-quarter 2019 earnings of 94 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 88 cents by 6.8%.
More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!
It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.
Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.
Click here for the 6 trades >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Hexcel Corporation (HXL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Textron Inc. (TXT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
