Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading 0.4% Higher – Still a Buy?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)’s stock price was up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $477.22 and last traded at $476.59. Approximately 195,613 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 1,235,557 shares. The stock had previously closed at $474.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $685.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Melius Research cut Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $536.60.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 0.0 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The company has a market capitalization of $111.42 billion, a PE ratio of 21.34, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a fifty day moving average of $450.03 and a 200 day moving average of $500.17.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid 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 2.78%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Insider Activity at Lockheed Martin

In related news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total transaction of $1,421,495.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $884,840. This trade 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 this link. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total value of $312,925.27. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. This represents a 23.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 in the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lockheed Martin

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LMT. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Lockheed Martin by 41,104.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,991,433 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $889,593,000 after acquiring an additional 1,986,600 shares during the last quarter. 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. increased its stake in Lockheed Martin by 17.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,471,071 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,630,492,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132,461 shares during the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth about $526,587,000. Finally, Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth about $451,985,000. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.