Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Stock Price Up 1% – Still a Buy?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) shares shot up 1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $440.16 and last traded at $440.66. 279,657 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 1,528,304 shares. The stock had previously closed at $436.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on LMT. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lockheed Martin from $500.00 to $497.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $555.60.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 1.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $469.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $528.89.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last posted its earnings results 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, equities analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 59.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Virtue Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 112.8% during the third quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 2,249 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,315,000 after buying an additional 1,192 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.1% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 656,807 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $382,498,000 after buying an additional 13,253 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 79.9% during the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 12,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $7,054,000 after buying an additional 5,361 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 51.7% during the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 9,528 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,630,000 after buying an additional 3,247 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 92,131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $44,770,000 after buying an additional 2,011 shares during the period. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.