Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Stock Price Up 0.4% – Should You Buy?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) shot up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $545.83 and last traded at $545.08. 101,070 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 1,049,906 shares. The stock had previously closed at $543.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on LMT shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Lockheed Martin from $503.00 to $599.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Melius upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $704.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Melius Research raised shares of Lockheed Martin to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $483.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $611.00.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $578.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $519.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The firm has a market cap of $129.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.49.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.50 by $0.34. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 101.44%. The business had revenue of $17.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.89 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This is a positive change from Lockheed Martin’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.15. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LMT. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Sachetta LLC boosted its position in Lockheed Martin by 50.0% in the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 60 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Wiser Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 65.8% during the first quarter. Wiser Advisor Group LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 48.9% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 67 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

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.