Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays cut 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. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Monday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $539.53.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:LMT opened at $448.39 on Tuesday. Lockheed Martin has a fifty-two week low of $419.70 and a fifty-two week high of $618.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $454.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $508.19. 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 market cap of $105.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.94%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 59.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the 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 directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $884,840. This represents a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lockheed Martin

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LMT. M1 Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at $235,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth about $235,000. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth about $209,000. 111 Capital purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,155,000. Finally, Thoma Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $524,000. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.