Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $439.70, but opened at $425.63. Lockheed Martin shares last traded at $435.12, with a volume of 501,598 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on LMT shares. Citigroup dropped their target price 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 cut their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group lowered their target price 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.20.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 1.8 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $459.13 and a 200 day moving average of $512.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 101.47%. Equities research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Lockheed Martin

In other Lockheed Martin news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total value of $1,421,495.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $884,840. This 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total transaction of $312,925.27. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $3,630,492,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132,461 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,887,242 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,374,557,000 after acquiring an additional 59,597 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 6.6% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in 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 worth $1,797,437,000 after purchasing an additional 240,306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,260,910 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,098,667,000 after purchasing an additional 134,662 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

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.