Sage Investment Counsel LLC Invests $279,000 in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Sage Investment Counsel LLC bought a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 575 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $279,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LMT. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth $40,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth $46,000. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,265.58. This represents a 23.69 % 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 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 0.8 %

LMT stock opened at $450.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $465.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $525.34. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 52 week low of $419.70 and a 52 week high of $618.95. The company has a market capitalization of $105.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.48.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.93%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is 59.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $497.00 to $468.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $579.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays decreased 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, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $553.67.

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.