Virtue Capital Management LLC Cuts Stake in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Virtue Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT - Free Report) by 50.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,107 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 1,142 shares during the quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC's holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $538,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at about $959,000. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,743,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 38,919 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $18,912,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX bought a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter worth about $4,987,000. Institutional investors own 74.19% of the company's stock.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 0.8%

LMT stock traded up $3.68 during trading on Thursday, reaching $473.66. 850,232 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,294,918. The firm's 50 day moving average is $462.47 and its 200 day moving average is $475.74. The firm has a market cap of $110.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.29. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $418.88 and a twelve month high of $618.95.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.34 by $0.94. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. The firm had revenue of $17.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.83 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $3.30 dividend. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Lockheed Martin's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $685.00 to $485.00 in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Lockheed Martin from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $550.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $540.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Lockheed Martin from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $541.80.

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.