Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Wednesday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on LMT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $611.00 to $523.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Lockheed Martin from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $550.00 to $480.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lockheed Martin presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $544.79.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

Shares of LMT traded up $11.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $477.82. 1,521,067 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,252,868. Lockheed Martin has a one year low of $418.88 and a one year high of $618.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The business has a 50-day moving average of $455.79 and a 200 day moving average of $490.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.47, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 101.47%. The business had revenue of $17.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.83 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total transaction of $312,925.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. This trade represents a 23.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total value of $1,421,495.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $884,840. The trade was a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.