MQS Management LLC Makes New Investment in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 509 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $247,000. Lockheed Martin comprises about 7.0% of MQS Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,471,071 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,630,492,000 after buying an additional 1,132,461 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,827,645 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,816,898,000 after purchasing an additional 83,997 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,389,025 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,981,088,000 after purchasing an additional 209,591 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 8.5% during 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. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,743,757 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $847,361,000 after purchasing an additional 15,085 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on LMT. StockNews.com cut Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $570.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays cut their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $554.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total transaction of $1,421,495.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total value of $312,925.27. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,265.58. This represents a 23.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 2.8 %

LMT stock opened at $474.31 on Monday. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 1-year low of $419.70 and a 1-year high of $618.95. The firm has a market cap of $111.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s 50 day moving average is $462.89 and its 200-day moving average is $521.36. 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) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

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.