First Merchants Corp Has $7.88 Million Stock Holdings in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

First Merchants Corp grew its position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,212 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the quarter. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $7,878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LMT. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

Shares of LMT stock opened at $434.36 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. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 52 week low of $413.92 and a 52 week high of $618.95. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $480.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $534.28. The company has a market capitalization of $102.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.48.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 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%. On average, analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LMT shares. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $560.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Lockheed Martin from $500.00 to $497.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lockheed Martin presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $555.60.

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.