StockNews.com Downgrades Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on LMT. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays reduced their price target on Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $500.00 to $497.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $555.60.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

Shares of LMT stock opened at $462.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $108.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $492.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $536.42. Lockheed Martin has a one year low of $413.92 and a one year high of $618.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, equities analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin will post 27.09 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its position in Lockheed Martin by 1.1% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,548 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $905,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. AllGen Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. AllGen Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 468 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 20.5% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 106 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 3.3% during the third quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 566 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Quad Cities Investment Group LLC raised its position in Lockheed Martin by 1.2% during the third quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $919,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.