Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $539.53.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LMT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Melius Research cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LMT opened at $446.81 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $455.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $509.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.07, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. Lockheed Martin has a one year low of $419.70 and a one year high of $618.95.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $3.30 per share. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,265.58. This represents a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $884,840. This trade represents a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.