Bell Investment Advisors Inc Boosts Stock Position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 235 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $114,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LMT. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 53,784.3% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,235,568 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $600,412,000 after purchasing an additional 1,233,275 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,471,071 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,630,492,000 after buying an additional 1,132,461 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 1,239.6% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 548,237 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $266,410,000 after buying an additional 507,312 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 124.0% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 450,870 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $263,561,000 after buying an additional 249,591 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,074,855 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,797,437,000 after buying an additional 240,306 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin

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

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

Lockheed Martin stock opened at $474.31 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $462.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $521.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.65 billion, a PE ratio of 21.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. 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 one year low of $419.70 and a one year high of $618.95.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 EPS 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $3.30 dividend. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 59.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on LMT shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $554.20.

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.