Melius Downgrades Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) to Hold

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) was downgraded by equities researchers at Melius from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on LMT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays dropped their target price on Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.20.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of Lockheed Martin stock opened at $442.63 on Monday. Lockheed Martin has a 1 year low of $419.70 and a 1 year high of $618.95. The company has a market cap of $104.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $459.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $512.63.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last posted its quarterly 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, analysts expect that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin

In related news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. The trade was a 23.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $884,840. This trade represents 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 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. 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.