Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading 2.2% Higher – Time to Buy?

Shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) traded up 2.2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $480.45 and last traded at $479.88. 260,930 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 1,648,108 shares. The stock had previously closed at $469.58.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LMT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $476.00 to $432.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $685.00 to $485.00 in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Lockheed Martin from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $550.00 to $480.00 in a report on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $539.93.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $111.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39. The company’s 50 day moving average is $450.97 and its 200 day moving average is $499.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $3.30 dividend. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lockheed Martin news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total value of $1,421,495.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $884,840. The trade was a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares in the company, 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. Insiders have sold 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

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.