Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Melius Research

Melius Research upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Tuesday, Zacks.com reports.

LMT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lockheed Martin from $483.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America reissued a buy rating and set a $635.00 price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Friday, August 30th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and raised their target price for the company from $500.00 to $600.00 in a research note on Monday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $518.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $553.43.

Lockheed Martin Trading Down 0.3 %

LMT stock opened at $566.82 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $524.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $478.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.07. Lockheed Martin has a fifty-two week low of $393.77 and a fifty-two week high of $578.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $136.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74, a P/E/G ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.46.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.45 by $0.66. The business had revenue of $18.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.05 billion. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 9.48% and a return on equity of 95.03%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.73 EPS. Analysts expect that Lockheed Martin will post 26.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $3.15 per share. This represents a $12.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.10%.

Insider Activity at Lockheed Martin

In other news, insider Timothy S. Cahill sold 3,975 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $515.36, for a total transaction of $2,048,556.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,877 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,574,850.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,168,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 661 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 111.1% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,026,000 after purchasing an additional 1,209 shares in the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth approximately $436,000. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 366,339 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $166,039,000 after buying an additional 6,769 shares during 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.