Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Up 0.2% – What’s Next?

Shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) shot up 0.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $493.40 and last traded at $490.75. 205,298 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 1,091,841 shares. The stock had previously closed at $489.98.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on LMT. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $705.00 to $695.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $602.00 to $543.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com raised Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Melius Research raised Lockheed Martin to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $675.00 to $665.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lockheed Martin presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $612.29.

Lockheed Martin Stock Down 0.4 %

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $531.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $533.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.65 billion, a PE ratio of 17.66, a PEG ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.46.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. This is a positive change from Lockheed Martin’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.15. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.71%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is presently 47.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LMT. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 656,807 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $382,498,000 after acquiring an additional 13,253 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Lockheed Martin by 79.9% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 6.6% during the third quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC now owns 26,633 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $15,569,000 after acquiring an additional 1,643 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 55.1% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,468 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,781,000 after acquiring an additional 2,297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 22,016 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $12,870,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by 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.