Lockheed Martin Corporation $LMT Stake Lowered by Welch Group LLC

Welch Group LLC reduced its position in Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 126,656 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 6,028 shares during the quarter. Lockheed Martin accounts for approximately 2.9% of Welch Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Welch Group LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Lockheed Martin worth $76,549,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Triumph Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 55 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 74.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Lockheed Martin News

Here are the key news stories impacting Lockheed Martin this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed Martin won a seven-year U.S. government contract worth up to $35 billion to quadruple THAAD interceptor production, a major win that should boost backlog, sales visibility, and future earnings. THAAD procurement award article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts said the new missile contract, along with other recent Pentagon orders, strengthens the case for higher EPS as Lockheed ramps missile-defense production. Jefferies analyst note on missile contracts
• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed Martin is also being viewed as a defensive, dividend-oriented name with durable government-backed revenue, which may help support the stock during broader market volatility. Dividend stock article
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching a broader defense-contractor earnings comparison piece that could influence relative sentiment across the sector, including LMT. Defense contractors Q1 results article
• Neutral Sentiment: Lockheed Martin was recently included in coverage about SpaceX’s military space-laser project and other defense-space partnerships, but the direct financial impact is still unclear. SpaceX military space-laser project article
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also faced recent pressure, including a reported two-day decline and another session where it fell more than the broader market, suggesting some investors were taking profits before the THAAD news fully sank in. Stock down 6% in 2 days article

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $660.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Lockheed Martin from $670.00 to $600.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Lockheed Martin from $740.00 to $700.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $650.00 to $575.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $619.63.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE LMT opened at $506.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The firm has a market cap of $116.81 billion, a PE ratio of 24.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $526.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $566.75. Lockheed Martin Corporation has a 52 week low of $410.11 and a 52 week high of $692.00.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $6.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.79 by ($0.35). Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 101.64%. The firm had revenue of $18.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.28 earnings per share. Lockheed Martin’s revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.350-30.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 29.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $3.45 per share. This represents a $13.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.83%.

Lockheed Martin Company Profile

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) is a global aerospace and defense company that designs, develops and manufactures advanced technology systems for government and commercial customers. Formed through the 1995 merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta, the company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, and focuses on providing integrated solutions across air, space, land and sea domains. Its primary customers include the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and allied governments around the world.

Lockheed Martin’s product and service portfolio spans military aircraft, missile and fire-control systems, missile defense, space systems and satellite technologies, sensors and precision weapons.