Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) Shares Sold by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. reduced its stake in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 27 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $4,102,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LMT. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 42.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,941,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Bank of Hawaii raised its position in Lockheed Martin by 8.1% in the third quarter. Bank of Hawaii now owns 492 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth $1,003,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 51.9% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 8,378 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,897,000 after buying an additional 2,861 shares during the period. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

Shares of LMT opened at $442.63 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 52-week low of $419.70 and a 52-week high of $618.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $459.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $512.63. The company has a market capitalization of $104.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 101.47%. Research analysts predict that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lockheed Martin news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total transaction of $1,421,495.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $884,840. This trade represents a 61.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total transaction of $312,925.27. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,265.58. The trade was a 23.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916 in the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of 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. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Melius downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.20.

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.