Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) Shares Sold by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council lowered its position in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 148 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $8,334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LMT. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1,239.6% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 548,237 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $266,410,000 after purchasing an additional 507,312 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 124.0% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 450,870 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $263,561,000 after buying an additional 249,591 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 8.5% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,074,855 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,797,437,000 after buying an additional 240,306 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 6.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,389,025 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,981,088,000 after buying an additional 209,591 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at $77,376,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of LMT stock opened at $441.20 on Friday. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 12-month low of $419.70 and a 12-month high of $618.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $469.94 and a 200-day moving average of $528.89. The company has a market capitalization of $103.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.48. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 101.47%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $555.60.

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.