Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) - What Are Investment Firms Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive: Of 23 firms covering Lockheed Martin, 12 rate it a buy or strong buy, 10 say hold, and one says sell. The average 12-month price target is $647.
• Lockheed beat quarterly expectations, reporting earnings of $7.97 per share and revenue of $20.71 billion; revenue rose 11.3% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend from $3.45 to $3.60 per share. Its potential role in the Pentagon’s Golden Dome program could present an opportunity, but awards and revenue remain uncertain.

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $647.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $700.00 price target on Lockheed Martin in a report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings raised Lockheed Martin from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. UBS Group raised their target price on Lockheed Martin from $653.00 to $692.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Vertical Research raised Lockheed Martin from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $600.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $620.00 price target on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Monday, October 26th.

More Lockheed Martin News

These are some of the LMT news items that stood out recently:

• Neutral Sentiment: Lockheed is among the companies involved in the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile-shield program, and established interceptor backlogs could position incumbents to win work. However, the article does not identify how much revenue Lockheed will secure. Golden Dome’s $185 Billion Question: Who Actually Gets Paid?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent Zacks pieces describe LMT as a value-stock candidate and compare it with Howmet Aerospace, but provide no new company-specific operating or earnings developments. Why Lockheed Martin (LMT) is a Top Value Stock for the Long-Term
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet’s entry into Golden Dome adds another potential competitor, while the scale of the program and uncertainty over which companies will receive awards make the opportunity difficult to quantify for LMT. Golden Dome’s $185 Billion Question: Who Actually Gets Paid?

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Trek Financial LLC lifted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 1,405 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 3.2% during the third quarter. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. now owns 542 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Third View Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.0% during the third quarter. Third View Private Wealth LLC now owns 886 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Henderson Brothers Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.7% during the third quarter. Henderson Brothers Financial Partners LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $327,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 4.5% during the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 442 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.19% of the company's stock.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

NYSE:LMT traded down $8.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $595.89. 913,515 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,706,259. Lockheed Martin has a twelve month low of $437.25 and a twelve month high of $692.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $553.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $569.93.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.52 by $0.45. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 83.41% and a net margin of 8.23%. The firm had revenue of $20.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.48 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.95 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Lockheed Martin will post 30.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $3.60 per share. This is an increase from Lockheed Martin's previous quarterly dividend of $3.45. This represents a $14.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. Lockheed Martin's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.15%.

Lockheed Martin Company Profile

Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security and aerospace company headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Formed in 1995 through the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta, the company develops and produces advanced defense, aerospace, and technology systems for government and commercial customers. Its principal business areas include Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space. Products and services include military aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II, C-130 Hercules, and F-16 Fighting Falcon; missile-defense and precision-strike systems; helicopters and naval systems; command, control, communications, and intelligence technologies; satellites; space exploration systems; and other classified space and defense programs.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.