Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Stock Price Up 0.9% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) shot up 0.9% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $446.17 and last traded at $445.38. 362,356 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 1,547,984 shares. The stock had previously closed at $441.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $497.00 to $468.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” 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 decreased their price target for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $553.67.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 0.8 %

The firm has a market cap of $105.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $465.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $525.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13.

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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.93%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin

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 shares were sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total value of $1,421,495.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $884,840. The trade was a 61.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total transaction of $312,925.27. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

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

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.