Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $575.00 price objective on the aerospace company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price suggests a potential upside of 23.98% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on LMT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $685.00 to $485.00 in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Lockheed Martin from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $550.00 to $480.00 in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Melius Research downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $539.93.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

Shares of LMT opened at $463.80 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $108.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39. Lockheed Martin has a twelve month low of $418.88 and a twelve month high of $618.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $451.95 and a 200 day moving average of $498.23.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Lockheed Martin

In related news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total transaction of $312,925.27. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. This trade represents a 23.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total value of $1,421,495.46. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $884,840. This trade represents a 61.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LMT. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Wynn Capital LLC boosted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 2,185 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,062,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,745 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Nvwm LLC increased its stake in Lockheed Martin by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 908 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $441,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schear Investment Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $557,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

About Lockheed Martin

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.