Decatur Capital Management Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Decatur Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,248 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 63 shares during the quarter. Decatur Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $2,064,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Trading Down 2.8 %

NYSE LMT opened at $463.80 on Friday. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 52-week low of $418.88 and a 52-week high of $618.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $452.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $497.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. Equities research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on LMT. Melius Research downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Melius lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America lowered shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $685.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of 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, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $539.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin

In other news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total value of $1,421,495.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $884,840. This trade represents a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,278 shares in the company, 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin 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.