Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Downgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report published on Wednesday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $560.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $503.00 to $599.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $483.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on Lockheed Martin from $480.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Lockheed Martin from $589.00 to $603.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.71.

Lockheed Martin Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:LMT opened at $571.10 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $137.03 billion, a PE ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.47. Lockheed Martin has a 12-month low of $413.92 and a 12-month high of $618.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $579.95 and a 200 day moving average of $513.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.50 by $0.34. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 95.03% and a net margin of 9.48%. The firm had revenue of $17.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin will post 26.68 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid 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 of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is presently 48.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LMT. Burkett Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the second quarter worth $27,000. Sachetta LLC lifted its position in Lockheed Martin by 50.0% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 60 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Wiser Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 65.8% in the first quarter. Wiser Advisor Group LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.