Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading 0.1% Higher

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) rose 0.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $468.88 and last traded at $467.25. Approximately 196,125 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 1,074,110 shares. The stock had previously closed at $466.99.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on LMT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $460.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $467.00 to $487.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Lockheed Martin from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $475.00 to $518.00 in a report on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $508.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $485.40.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.11 billion, a PE ratio of 17.14, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $464.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $450.12.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $6.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.53. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 85.96% and a net margin of 9.73%. The firm had revenue of $17.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.43 EPS. Lockheed Martin’s quarterly revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be issued a dividend of $3.15 per share. This represents a $12.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is currently 46.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LMT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,302,719 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $9,120,920,000 after purchasing an additional 279,162 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 4.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,158,783 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,291,816,000 after acquiring an additional 121,358 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,589,447 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,173,641,000 after purchasing an additional 336,588 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Lockheed Martin by 10,526.6% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,362,228 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $617,416,000 after buying an additional 1,349,409 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,038,161 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $470,536,000 after buying an additional 27,349 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Company 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.