Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) Shares Sold by Kesler Norman & Wride LLC

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC lowered its stake in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,181 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 860 shares during the period. Lockheed Martin accounts for 1.3% of Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $5,919,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 53,784.3% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,235,568 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $600,412,000 after purchasing an additional 1,233,275 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Lockheed Martin by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,471,071 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,630,492,000 after buying an additional 1,132,461 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 1,239.6% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 548,237 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $266,410,000 after buying an additional 507,312 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Lockheed Martin by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,074,855 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,797,437,000 after buying an additional 240,306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $77,376,000. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

Lockheed Martin stock opened at $448.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $454.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $508.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 1 year low of $419.70 and a 1 year high of $618.95.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Lockheed Martin from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $550.00 to $480.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Melius lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $539.53.

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.