Leidos Holdings

Leidos Holdings
Name	Leidos Holdings
Type	Public
Industry	Defense, Aerospace, Intelligence, Health
Founded	1969 (as Science Applications International Corporation)
Headquarters	Reston, Virginia, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Roy A. Stevens (CEO), John P. Schneider (CFO)
Products	Systems engineering, cybersecurity, intelligence analysis, biomedical research, logistics
Revenue	US$15–15.5 billion (2023)
Num employees	~44,000 (2024)

Leidos Holdings is a Fortune 500 American company providing systems integration, engineering, technical, and scientific services primarily to national defense, intelligence, civil, and health customers. Originating from a spin-out and reorganization of long-established contractors, the firm competes with major aerospace and defense primes across global markets and operates numerous research centers and program offices. Its portfolio spans advanced computing, cybersecurity, sensors, and biomedical analytics for federal and commercial clients.

History

Leidos traces institutional roots to organizations formed during the Cold War era such as Science Applications International Corporation and firms associated with the expansion of Department of Defense procurement in the 1970s and 1980s, with corporate lineage shaped by mergers, divestitures, and a high-profile 2013 reorganization. The company expanded through acquisitions reminiscent of consolidations involving BAE Systems, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman, absorbing businesses aligned with programs like those of National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Institutes of Health. Strategic purchases mirrored moves by Booz Allen Hamilton and CACI International to capture work from agencies such as National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. Over the 2010s and 2020s Leidos grew into programs associated with United States Department of Defense modernization, collaborations with European Space Agency, and tasking from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Business segments and services

The company's operations are commonly organized into segments addressing customers such as United States Air Force, United States Army, United States Navy, National Reconnaissance Office, and civilian agencies including Department of Veterans Affairs and Federal Aviation Administration. Services include systems engineering and integration similar to offerings from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies, cybersecurity and information assurance parallel to Palantir Technologies, and biomedical analytics akin to work by IQVIA and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Leidos provides technical services for space and satellite programs associated with NASA missions and supports intelligence fusion centers used by agencies like Office of the Director of National Intelligence and FBI. Logistics, training, and modeling-and-simulation offerings mirror capabilities found at SAIC and Leidos Health-aligned projects supporting public health response efforts connected to entities such as World Health Organization.

Major contracts and partnerships

Leidos has held multi-year task orders and prime contracts with organizations including U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, National Institutes of Health, and international ministries of defense. Notable awards have related to programs like F-35 Lightning II sustainment supply chains, intelligence support to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and health surveillance efforts partnering with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The company has formed strategic alliances with primes such as Booz Allen Hamilton, BAE Systems, and General Dynamics for bid teams, and technology partnerships involving Microsoft cloud offerings, Amazon Web Services infrastructure, and sensor collaborations with Thales Group and Honeywell International. Joint ventures have been structured to pursue contracts from bodies like NATO and partner ministries in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Financial performance and ownership

Leidos is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and included in indices alongside firms such as Dow Jones Industrial Average constituents and S&P 500 members. Revenue and profit trends reflected growth through acquisitions and defense spending cycles, with fiscal reporting compared to peers like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. Institutional investors such as BlackRock, Vanguard Group, and State Street Corporation have historically appeared among major shareholders. Financial disclosures highlight contracts backlog influenced by appropriations processes in the United States Congress and program awards from procurement agencies including Defense Contract Management Agency.

Corporate governance and leadership

The company's board and executive leadership have featured executives with prior service at corporations and institutions like DynCorp International, SAIC, and federal posts within Department of Defense and Department of Energy. Executive decisions and succession planning have been discussed in forums alongside corporate governance issues seen at large defense contractors such as Boeing and General Dynamics. Leidos' corporate governance practices adhere to securities regulations administered by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and engage with shareholder advisory firms including Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services.

Research, innovation, and technology initiatives

Research centers and labs collaborate with academic institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, and Georgia Institute of Technology on topics including artificial intelligence, signal processing, and biomedical informatics. The company invests in initiatives relevant to machine learning deployments for intelligence analysis and partners with cloud providers Microsoft Azure and AWS for scalable compute. Technology trials have interfaced with programs from DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency initiatives, and satellite programs coordinated with NOAA and commercial launch providers such as SpaceX and United Launch Alliance.

Controversies and legal matters

Like many large defense and technology contractors, the company has been involved in contract disputes, bid protests filed at the Government Accountability Office, and litigation concerning labor and compliance with federal acquisition regulations overseen by the Department of Justice. Concerns raised by watchdogs and watchdog journalism outlets have paralleled scrutiny applied to peers like Booz Allen Hamilton and Palantir Technologies over privacy, procurement practices, and performance on major programs. The firm has settled or contested matters involving subcontractor disputes and False Claims Act allegations that have appeared in industry reporting and regulatory filings.

Category:Companies based in Virginia