Howard Capital Management Inc. Purchases 581 Shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,492 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $1,697,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 112.8% in the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 2,249 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after acquiring an additional 1,192 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 656,807 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $382,498,000 after acquiring an additional 13,253 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 79.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 12,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,054,000 after purchasing an additional 5,361 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 51.7% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 9,528 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,630,000 after purchasing an additional 3,247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 92,131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $44,770,000 after purchasing an additional 2,011 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LMT. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup lowered 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. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $555.60.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE LMT opened at $441.20 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $469.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $528.75. The firm has a market cap of $103.86 billion, a PE ratio of 19.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.48. Lockheed Martin Co. has a twelve month low of $419.70 and a twelve month high of $618.95.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. Analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 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.