Cerity Partners LLC Grows Stake in Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT - Free Report) by 5.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 156,183 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 8,308 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 0.07% of Lockheed Martin worth $69,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Lockheed Martin by 41,104.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,991,433 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $889,593,000 after purchasing an additional 1,986,600 shares in the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $526,587,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $451,985,000. Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $229,987,000. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Lockheed Martin by 47,002.5% in the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 433,343 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $210,579,000 after purchasing an additional 432,423 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of LMT stock traded up $3.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $467.48. 1,208,544 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,364,460. Lockheed Martin Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $418.88 and a fifty-two week high of $618.95. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $469.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $465.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.79. The stock has a market cap of $109.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.28.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.34 by $0.94. The business had revenue of $17.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.83 billion. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 104.09% and a net margin of 7.66%. Equities analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 27.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a $3.30 dividend. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Lockheed Martin's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on LMT. Wall Street Zen cut Lockheed Martin from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut Lockheed Martin from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $550.00 to $480.00 in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Lockheed Martin from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $540.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $481.00 to $499.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Bank of America cut Lockheed Martin from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $685.00 to $485.00 in a report on Monday, March 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $531.47.

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.