Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading 0.5% Higher – Still a Buy?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) shares shot up 0.5% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $474.89 and last traded at $475.27. 181,844 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 1,282,956 shares. The stock had previously closed at $473.06.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Melius Research lowered shares of Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Melius lowered shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America lowered shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $685.00 to $485.00 in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $541.80.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 0.8%

The stock has a market capitalization of $111.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.29. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $461.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $478.60.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.34 by $0.94. The firm had revenue of $17.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.83 billion. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is presently 57.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin

In other Lockheed Martin news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of Lockheed Martin 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 sale, the insider now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. This represents a 23.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lifted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 51.7% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 9,528 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,630,000 after buying an additional 3,247 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,294,000. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 51,253 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $24,906,000 after purchasing an additional 5,075 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 174.0% during the 4th quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 3,176 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,579,000 after purchasing an additional 2,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soltis Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 42.5% in the 4th quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,935 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,772,000 after purchasing an additional 4,159 shares during the period. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.