Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading Down 2.6% – Time to Sell?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)’s share price was down 2.6% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $448.39 and last traded at $464.88. Approximately 1,099,365 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average daily volume of 1,234,198 shares. The stock had previously closed at $477.08.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada cut Lockheed Martin from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $550.00 to $480.00 in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Bank of America cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $685.00 to $485.00 in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $539.93.

Lockheed Martin Stock Down 1.8 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The stock has a market cap of $109.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $451.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $499.06.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced 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 return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total value of $312,925.27. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,265.58. The trade was a 23.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 sale, the insider now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $884,840. This represents a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. 74.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.