Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading Up 2.2% – Time to Buy?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) shares traded up 2.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $480.45 and last traded at $479.88. 260,930 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 1,648,108 shares. The stock had previously closed at $469.58.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Lockheed Martin from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $550.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $539.93.

Lockheed Martin Stock Down 2.8 %

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $451.95 and its 200-day moving average is $498.23. 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. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 predict that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $3.30 per share. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $530,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Wynn Capital LLC increased its stake in Lockheed Martin by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 2,185 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,062,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Lockheed Martin by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,745 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Nvwm LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 908 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $441,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Schear Investment Advisers LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.