Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Down 0.6% - Time to Sell?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 0.6% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $549.25 and last traded at $551.95. Approximately 186,837 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 1,051,929 shares. The stock had previously closed at $555.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on LMT shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $503.00 to $599.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research 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 on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $560.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $589.00 to $603.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $611.00.

Lockheed Martin Trading Down 1.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $580.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $516.25. The company has a market cap of $131.23 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a PEG ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.47.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.84 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.77 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.65 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $3.30 dividend. This is a boost from Lockheed Martin's previous quarterly dividend of $3.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. Lockheed Martin's payout ratio is presently 48.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in Lockheed Martin by 1.1% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,548 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $905,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. AllGen Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Lockheed Martin by 4.0% during the third quarter. AllGen Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 468 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in Lockheed Martin by 20.5% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 106 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Sunburst Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Lockheed Martin by 3.3% during the third quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 566 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Quad Cities Investment Group LLC boosted its position in Lockheed Martin by 1.2% during the third quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $919,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.