Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading Down 0.5% - Time to Sell?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report)'s stock price dropped 0.5% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $529.50 and last traded at $530.54. Approximately 187,951 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 1,060,005 shares. The stock had previously closed at $533.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $519.00 to $626.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $560.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com lowered Lockheed Martin from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lockheed Martin from $483.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $560.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $611.00.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 0.0 %

The firm has a market cap of $126.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The stock's 50 day moving average is $574.83 and its 200 day moving average is $526.21.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.50 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $17.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.38 billion. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.44% and a net margin of 9.36%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.77 EPS. Analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.89 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $3.30 dividend. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. This is a boost from Lockheed Martin's previous quarterly dividend of $3.15. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Lockheed Martin's payout ratio is presently 45.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,827,645 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,816,898,000 after purchasing an additional 83,997 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 6.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,389,025 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,981,088,000 after purchasing an additional 209,591 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 8.5% in the 3rd 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. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,942,658 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $902,714,000 after purchasing an additional 31,545 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 60,592.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,559,178 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $911,433,000 after buying an additional 1,556,609 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.