Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading Up 0.7% – Still a Buy?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) shares traded up 0.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $447.05 and last traded at $446.66. 344,798 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 1,226,331 shares. The stock had previously closed at $443.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on LMT. Melius Research downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. StockNews.com lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $536.60.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $449.60 and a 200 day moving average of $501.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $3.30 dividend. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total transaction of $1,421,495.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $884,840. This represents a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total value of $312,925.27. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. The trade was a 23.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LMT. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lockheed Martin Company Profile

Lockheed Martin Corporation, a security and aerospace company, engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of technology systems, products, and services worldwide. The company operates through Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space segments.