Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Raised to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning.

Several other research firms have also commented on LMT. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $550.00 to $540.00 and set a positive rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $460.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price target for the company from $475.00 to $518.00 in a report on Monday, April 15th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $508.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $513.00 to $503.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $485.40.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

LMT stock opened at $461.29 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. Lockheed Martin has a 12 month low of $393.77 and a 12 month high of $479.50. The firm has a market cap of $110.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.88, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $443.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $444.53.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $6.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.53. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 9.73% and a return on equity of 85.96%. The firm had revenue of $17.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin will post 26.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin

In other Lockheed Martin news, COO John Frank A. St sold 6,648 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.35, for a total value of $2,827,726.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Lockheed Martin news, SVP Maryanne Lavan sold 4,022 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.39, for a total value of $1,747,116.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO John Frank A. St sold 6,648 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.35, for a total transaction of $2,827,726.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 16,874 shares of company stock worth $7,249,946. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Pacific Financial acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 73.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 64 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1,200.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 65 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.