Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $466.74, but opened at $478.09. Lockheed Martin shares last traded at $478.18, with a volume of 560,232 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LMT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays decreased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $554.20.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $103.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78, 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. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $460.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $514.87.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. Equities research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share 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 paid a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is presently 59.30%.

Insider Transactions at Lockheed Martin

In other news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the business’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 value of $312,925.27. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,265.58. The trade was a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $884,840. The trade was a 61.63 % decrease in their position. 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 90 days. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. M1 Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth approximately $235,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth approximately $235,000. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. 111 Capital bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,155,000. Finally, Thoma Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth approximately $524,000. Hedge funds and other 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.