Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Cuts Stock Holdings in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lessened its holdings in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 8,442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 27 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $4,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 17.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,471,071 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,630,492,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132,461 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,827,645 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,816,898,000 after purchasing an additional 83,997 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,389,025 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,981,088,000 after purchasing an additional 209,591 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,074,855 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,797,437,000 after purchasing an additional 240,306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,743,757 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $847,361,000 after purchasing an additional 15,085 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $544.20.

Insider Activity at Lockheed Martin

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

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 1.8 %

LMT stock opened at $442.63 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $459.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $512.63. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $104.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. Lockheed Martin Co. 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 the consensus estimate of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.