Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $398.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $440.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Vertical Research restated a “hold” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Lockheed Martin from $497.00 to $545.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $513.47.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LMT traded down $3.24 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $466.67. 355,334 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,571,551. Lockheed Martin has a twelve month low of $410.11 and a twelve month high of $546.00. The firm has a market cap of $107.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.01, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $484.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $466.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.32, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.33 by $0.62. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 111.84% and a net margin of 5.73%.The firm had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.84 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2025 guidance at 22.150-22.350 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $3.45 per share. This is a boost from Lockheed Martin’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.30. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $13.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is currently 77.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin

In related news, COO John Frank A. St sold 7,792 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.04, for a total value of $3,826,183.68. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 1 shares in the company, valued at $491.04. The trade was a 99.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LMT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,697,527 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $10,048,993,000 after buying an additional 214,565 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,031,528 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,587,444,000 after acquiring an additional 560,457 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,884,954 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,256,147,000 after purchasing an additional 19,459 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,384,753 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,190,493,000 after purchasing an additional 79,491 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Lockheed Martin by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,287,495 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,021,846,000 after purchasing an additional 31,443 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

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.