Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Up 1.2% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) were up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $455.72 and last traded at $454.42. Approximately 302,913 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 1,100,857 shares. The stock had previously closed at $448.82.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lockheed Martin currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $553.67.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $108.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $464.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $523.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Insider Activity at Lockheed Martin

In other Lockheed Martin news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total transaction of $312,925.27. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,265.58. This trade represents a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 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. Insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LMT. Virtue Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 112.8% in the third quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 2,249 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after buying an additional 1,192 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 656,807 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $382,498,000 after purchasing an additional 13,253 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 79.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 12,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,054,000 after purchasing an additional 5,361 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its position in Lockheed Martin by 51.7% in the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 9,528 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,630,000 after buying an additional 3,247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 92,131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $44,770,000 after buying an additional 2,011 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is currently 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.