A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Leidos (LDOS Quick QuoteLDOS - Free Report) . Shares have added about 5.5% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.

But investors have to be wondering, will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Leidos due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.

Leidos' Q2 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Improve Y/Y

Leidos Holdings’ reported second-quarter 2026 non-GAAP earnings of $3.26 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.90 by 12.4%. Earnings increased 1.6% from $3.21 in the year-ago quarter.

On a GAAP basis, earnings per share were $2.81, down from $3.01 a year ago. Management attributed the year-over-year decline in GAAP results to discrete costs tied to the Entrust acquisition and the pending joint venture involving security-related businesses.

LDOS' Total Revenues

Total revenues came in at $4.56 billion, up 7.2% year over year and above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.36 billion by 4.5%. Organic revenues increased 3.9% to $4.41 billion.

The company said revenues grew on higher customer demand for defense technology products, energy and air traffic management solutions, and intelligence mission support. Acquisition and divestiture revenues totaled $150 million compared with $9 million in the prior-year quarter.

Demand remained solid in the quarter. Net bookings totaled $4.9 billion, translating into a book-to-bill ratio of 1.1. The trailing-12-month book-to-bill ratio was also 1.1, supporting year-over-year growth in both total and funded backlog.

LDOS' Total Revenues

Total revenues came in at $4.56 billion, up 7.2% year over year and above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.36 billion by 4.5%. Organic revenues increased 3.9% to $4.41 billion.

The company said revenues grew on higher customer demand for defense technology products, energy and air traffic management solutions, and intelligence mission support. Acquisition and divestiture revenues totaled $150 million compared with $9 million in the prior-year quarter.

Demand remained solid in the quarter. Net bookings totaled $4.9 billion, translating into a book-to-bill ratio of 1.1. The trailing-12-month book-to-bill ratio was also 1.1, supporting year-over-year growth in both total and funded backlog.

LDOS’ Backlog

Backlog at quarter-end was $48.71 billion, including $10.22 billion funded and $38.49 billion unfunded. Total backlog increased 5% year over year, while funded backlog jumped 44%.

By segment, Intelligence & Digital backlog totaled $18.41 billion, Health was $6.61 billion, Homeland was $9.93 billion and Defense was $13.76 billion. Backlog as of July 3, 2026, included $371 million acquired through the Entrust transaction within the Homeland segment.

Operational Statistics of LDOS

Cost of revenues totaled $3.74 billion compared with $3.47 billion in the prior-year quarter. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to $283 million from $217 million, while acquisition, integration and restructuring costs rose to $27 million from $2 million.

Operating income was $514 million, down from $571 million in the year-ago period. The operating margin contracted to 11.3% from 13.4%. Interest expense increased to $69 million from $55 million.

Adjusted EBITDA declined to $631 million from $647 million. The adjusted EBITDA margin was 13.8% compared with 15.2% a year ago. The prior-year quarter benefited from several one-time, non-operational gains, including a $25 million insurance reimbursement for legal costs.

Leidos’ Segmental Performance

Intelligence & Digital revenues rose to $1.50 billion from $1.41 billion, supported by recent contract awards and higher Intelligence Community mission-support volumes. The segment also included $9 million of revenues from Kudu Dynamics. Non-GAAP operating margin remained unchanged at 10.1%.

Health revenues declined to $1.09 billion from $1.18 billion, primarily due to lower medical disability examination volumes. Non-GAAP operating margin decreased to 23.8% from 26.3%.

Homeland revenues increased to $1.02 billion from $771 million, driven by continued demand in the Air Traffic and Energy businesses. Results included $141 million from Entrust. Non-GAAP operating margin improved to 12.1% from 9.3% on a better mix of security products, improved program performance and lower indirect expenses.

Defense revenues were $955 million compared with $899 million a year ago, reflecting increased demand for several defense technology product lines. Non-GAAP operating margin was 9.9% compared with 10% in the prior-year period.

LDOS’ Financials

Cash and cash equivalents were $748 million at quarter-end compared with $1.11 billion as of Jan. 2, 2026. Long-term debt, net of the current portion, increased to $6.01 billion from $4.63 billion over the same period.

Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $793 million for the quarter, up from $486 million in the prior-year period.

Leidos returned $127 million to shareholders, including $72 million in share repurchases and $55 million in dividend payments.

LDOS’ 2026 Guidance

Leidos raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $18.20-$18.40 billion from the prior range of $18.00-$18.40 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $18.12 billion, which is below the company’s guided range.

Non-GAAP earnings are now projected at $12.20-$12.50 per share compared with the previous range of $12.10-$12.50. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $12.30 per share, which lies below the midpoint of the company’s guided range.

The company also raised its cash flows provided by operating activities outlook to approximately $1.85 billion from approximately $1.80 billion.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

In the past month, investors have witnessed a downward trend in estimates revision.

VGM Scores

Currently, Leidos has a great Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a bit on the Momentum Score front with a B. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock has a grade of A on the value side, putting it in the top 20% for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of A. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Outlook

Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. Interestingly, Leidos has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.

Performance of an Industry Player

Leidos belongs to the Zacks Computers - IT Services industry. Another stock from the same industry, Roper Technologies (ROP Quick QuoteROP - Free Report) , has gained 5.4% over the past month. More than a month has passed since the company reported results for the quarter ended June 2026.

Roper Technologies reported revenues of $2.11 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +8.5%. EPS of $5.38 for the same period compares with $4.87 a year ago.

For the current quarter, Roper Technologies is expected to post earnings of $5.79 per share, indicating a change of +12.7% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -0.1% over the last 30 days.

Roper Technologies has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) based on the overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions. Additionally, the stock has a VGM Score of F.