Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Reduces Stock Position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 88,397 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 75 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $42,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 17.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,132,461 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,827,645 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,816,898,000 after buying an additional 83,997 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,389,025 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,981,088,000 after buying an additional 209,591 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 8.5% during 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. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,743,757 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $847,361,000 after acquiring an additional 15,085 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Lockheed Martin news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $884,840. This represents a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $312,925.27. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. The trade was a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lockheed Martin Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:LMT opened at $466.48 on Friday. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 12-month low of $419.70 and a 12-month high of $618.95. The firm has a market cap of $109.80 billion, a PE ratio of 20.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $461.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $516.12.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 2.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $554.20.

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.