Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Upgraded at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report published on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has $575.00 price objective on the aerospace company’s stock.

LMT has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut Lockheed Martin from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $550.00 to $480.00 in a report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Bank of America cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $685.00 to $485.00 in a research report on Monday, March 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Melius lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued 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 an average price target of $539.93.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

Shares of LMT stock opened at $463.80 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $452.24 and its 200-day moving average is $497.25. 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 has a 52 week low of $418.88 and a 52 week high of $618.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.79 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Lockheed Martin

In related news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 23.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total value of $1,421,495.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $884,840. This represents a 61.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

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.