Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Bank of America downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $685.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays decreased their price target on Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded 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 research report on Thursday, January 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $544.20.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

NYSE LMT traded down $4.98 on Monday, reaching $434.72. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,013,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,138,277. Lockheed Martin has a 52 week low of $419.70 and a 52 week high of $618.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The firm has a market cap of $102.33 billion, a PE ratio of 19.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $459.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $513.50.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued 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 return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. Sell-side analysts expect that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Lockheed Martin

In other news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the business’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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. The trade was a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $884,840. This represents a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

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