Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Stock Price Up 1.6% – Should You Buy?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)’s share price traded up 1.6% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $451.20 and last traded at $449.11. 315,308 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 1,137,860 shares. The stock had previously closed at $442.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LMT. Citigroup decreased their price target on Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Susquehanna dropped their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Lockheed Martin from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $550.00 to $480.00 in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Melius downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $539.53.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $457.47 and a 200-day moving average of $511.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.90 billion, a PE 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 quarterly earnings data 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 forecast that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $3.30 dividend. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. This represents a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $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 a total of 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916 in the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LMT. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.