Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Stock Price Up 3.6% - Should You Buy?

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 3.6% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $488.30 and last traded at $486.00. Approximately 1,167,488 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average daily volume of 1,313,991 shares. The stock had previously closed at $469.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Melius Research cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $481.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Lockheed Martin from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $550.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $510.00 to $500.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $541.80.

Lockheed Martin Stock Down 4.0%

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $470.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $469.65. The company has a market capitalization of $109.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.98, a P/E/G 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 (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.83 billion. Research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.83%. Lockheed Martin's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company's stock.

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.