Principal Financial Group Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 268,465 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 2,414 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.11% of Lockheed Martin worth $130,458,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LMT. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 60,592.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,559,178 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $911,433,000 after acquiring an additional 1,556,609 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1,239.6% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 548,237 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $266,410,000 after acquiring an additional 507,312 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 124.0% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 450,870 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $263,561,000 after acquiring an additional 249,591 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 8.5% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,074,855 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,797,437,000 after acquiring an additional 240,306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 6.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,389,025 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,981,088,000 after acquiring an additional 209,591 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $560.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $555.60.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

NYSE LMT opened at $428.35 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.48. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 1-year low of $419.70 and a 1-year high of $618.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $475.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $531.88.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 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%. Equities analysts predict that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.14 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

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.