Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $539.53.

Several research firms have weighed in on LMT. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of 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.

Insider Activity

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 value of $312,925.27. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $884,840. The trade was a 61.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of LMT stock opened at $441.41 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $456.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $510.30. Lockheed Martin has a fifty-two week low of $419.70 and a fifty-two week high of $618.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.30%.

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.