Sage Investment Counsel LLC Acquires New Position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Sage Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 575 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $279,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the third quarter worth about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total transaction of $1,421,495.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $884,840. This trade represents a 61.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total transaction of $312,925.27. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,008,265.58. This trade represents a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

LMT traded up $5.66 on Monday, hitting $452.73. 366,471 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,543,751. Lockheed Martin Co. has a fifty-two week low of $419.70 and a fifty-two week high of $618.95. The stock has a market cap of $106.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $465.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $524.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given 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 yield of 2.92%. Lockheed Martin's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on LMT. StockNews.com cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $497.00 to $468.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $553.67.

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.