Lockheed Martin Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:LMT)

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors acquired 16,855 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 63% compared to the average daily volume of 10,335 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LMT. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 25.0% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,125 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $523,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. OMC Financial Services LTD acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,757,000. American Trust increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. American Trust now owns 1,394 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $634,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. IMS Capital Management increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. IMS Capital Management now owns 2,344 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,066,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, Keynote Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $761,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

Shares of LMT stock traded up $2.24 on Friday, reaching $527.99. The company had a trading volume of 299,086 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,073,781. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. Lockheed Martin has a one year low of $413.92 and a one year high of $618.95. The business’s 50-day moving average is $569.60 and its 200 day moving average is $528.50.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.50 by $0.34. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.44% and a net margin of 9.36%. The company had revenue of $17.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin will post 26.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. This is an increase from Lockheed Martin’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.15. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $519.00 to $626.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $705.00 to $695.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $589.00 to $603.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $611.00.

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.