Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading Down 0.4% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) traded down 0.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $470.44 and last traded at $473.22. 341,914 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 1,235,670 shares. The stock had previously closed at $475.34.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on LMT. StockNews.com cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Bank of America lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $685.00 to $485.00 in a report on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Lockheed Martin from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $550.00 to $480.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $536.60.

Lockheed Martin Stock Down 1.0 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $450.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $499.42. 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 company has a market cap of $110.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.13, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities 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 disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the business’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 transaction of $1,421,495.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $884,840. The trade was a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,265.58. The trade was a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted 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. Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 92,131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $44,770,000 after acquiring an additional 2,011 shares in the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,266,000. World Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 55.1% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,468 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,781,000 after purchasing an additional 2,297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 51,253 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $24,906,000 after purchasing an additional 5,075 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.