Sage Investment Counsel LLC Acquires Shares of 575 Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Sage Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 575 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $279,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,197,000. Fortress Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth approximately $205,000. Altrius Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 8,882 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,316,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,394 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,163,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 5,851 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,843,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

Shares of LMT opened at $450.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13. Lockheed Martin Co. has a twelve month low of $419.70 and a twelve month high of $618.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $465.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $525.34. The firm has a market cap of $105.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.22, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.48.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 101.47%. On average, analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $497.00 to $468.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $553.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin

In other news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total value of $312,925.27. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,265.58. The trade was a 23.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total transaction of $1,421,495.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $884,840. This represents a 61.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lockheed Martin 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.