Krane Funds Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Krane Funds Advisors LLC increased its position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 71.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 719 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the quarter. Krane Funds Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LMT. U S Wealth Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth $2,153,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,131,928 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,035,989,000 after acquiring an additional 318,007 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 693,918 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $337,202,000 after acquiring an additional 37,111 shares in the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth about $962,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 147,875 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $72,700,000 after purchasing an additional 9,864 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LMT. Melius downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley cut 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $685.00 to $485.00 in a report on Monday, March 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $539.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. This represents a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lockheed Martin Trading Down 4.9 %

LMT stock opened at $432.72 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The company has a market cap of $101.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.44, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $451.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $505.61. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 52 week low of $413.96 and a 52 week high of $618.95.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 59.30%.

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.