Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Stock Price Down 1.7% – Should You Sell?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) shares traded down 1.7% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $424.30 and last traded at $432.11. 1,119,906 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 1% from the average session volume of 1,131,284 shares. The stock had previously closed at $439.70.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Melius Research downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $579.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $611.00 to $523.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $544.20.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 1.8 %

The firm has a market cap of $104.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.88, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $459.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $512.63.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 101.47%. Analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.30%.

Insider Activity at Lockheed Martin

In other news, 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,265.58. This represents a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $884,840. The trade was a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lockheed Martin

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 53,784.3% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,235,568 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $600,412,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233,275 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,471,071 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,630,492,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132,461 shares in the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth about $526,587,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth approximately $451,985,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 1,239.6% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 548,237 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $266,410,000 after purchasing an additional 507,312 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.