Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Up 2.2% – Time to Buy?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)’s stock price traded up 2.2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $448.65 and last traded at $450.10. 302,724 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 1,543,915 shares. The stock had previously closed at $440.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on LMT. Barclays lowered their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $555.60.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 1.9 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $468.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $527.96.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 59.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its position in Lockheed Martin by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 106 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. FCG Investment Co boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 35.1% during the third quarter. FCG Investment Co now owns 5,057 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,956,000 after buying an additional 1,315 shares during the period. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth about $213,000. Inscription Capital LLC increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 1,058 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $619,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Forbes J M & Co. LLP purchased a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $248,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

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.