Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Up 0.3% – Here’s Why

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) shot up 0.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $443.00 and last traded at $443.10. 339,307 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 1,359,769 shares. The stock had previously closed at $441.97.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on LMT. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $519.00 to $626.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group cut their target price on Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup cut their target price on Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, StockNews.com cut Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $555.60.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $102.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $480.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $534.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last posted 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%. On average, analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $3.30 per share. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LMT. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.