Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Down 0.4% – Should You Sell?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)’s stock price fell 0.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $543.20 and last traded at $544.56. 201,033 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 1,051,948 shares. The stock had previously closed at $546.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LMT. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $675.00 to $665.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $560.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $483.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $635.00 price target on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Friday, August 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $611.00.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average is $579.44 and its 200 day moving average is $517.34. The firm has a market cap of $129.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.50 by $0.34. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 101.44%. The firm had revenue of $17.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.77 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This is a boost from Lockheed Martin’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.15. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is 47.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LMT. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 60,592.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,559,178 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $911,433,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556,609 shares during the period. Wulff Hansen & CO. lifted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 56,626.7% during the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 1,021,081 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $476,947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,019,281 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 29.7% during the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 953,285 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $433,621,000 after purchasing an additional 218,506 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Lockheed Martin by 219.3% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 318,107 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $149,138,000 after acquiring an additional 218,466 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Lockheed Martin by 14.9% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,384,774 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $646,828,000 after acquiring an additional 180,074 shares during the period. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.