Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) Short Interest Down 22.9% in March

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,620,000 shares, a decrease of 22.9% from the February 28th total of 3,400,000 shares. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,610,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Insider Activity

In other Lockheed Martin news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were 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 owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. This represents a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was 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 $884,840. This represents a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vinva Investment Management Ltd grew its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 656 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $382,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $530,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Wynn Capital LLC boosted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 2,185 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,062,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. PBMares Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,745 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Nvwm LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 908 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Melius lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. UBS Group reduced their price target 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. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $579.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $539.53.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 0.9 %

Lockheed Martin stock traded up $4.19 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $452.83. 784,592 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,641,035. Lockheed Martin has a 52-week low of $419.70 and a 52-week high of $618.95. The firm has a market cap of $106.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company’s 50-day moving average is $454.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $508.19.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 predict that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

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.