Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Stock Price Down 0.1% - Time to Sell?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) shares dropped 0.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $492.18 and last traded at $496.22. Approximately 193,367 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 1,080,399 shares. The stock had previously closed at $496.58.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $589.00 to $603.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Lockheed Martin from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. StockNews.com raised Lockheed Martin from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $612.29.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $555.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $531.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market cap of $117.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.46.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.50 by $0.34. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.44% and a net margin of 9.36%. The company had revenue of $17.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.77 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This is a positive change from Lockheed Martin's previous quarterly dividend of $3.15. Lockheed Martin's payout ratio is 47.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Burkett Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sachetta LLC grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 60 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 22 shares during the period. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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