Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Has $17.45 Million Stake in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 66.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 38,491 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,374 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $17,446,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Herold Advisors Inc. raised its position in Lockheed Martin by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 3,448 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,410,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 3.8% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 21,088 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,624,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the period. Alethea Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth about $415,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 6.4% in the third quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 11,697 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,784,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 1,275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Lockheed Martin

In related news, SVP Maryanne Lavan sold 4,022 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.39, for a total value of $1,747,116.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Maryanne Lavan sold 4,022 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.39, for a total transaction of $1,747,116.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO John Frank A. St sold 6,648 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.35, for a total value of $2,827,726.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 16,874 shares of company stock valued at $7,249,946 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Stock Down 0.3 %

LMT stock traded down $1.25 during trading on Friday, reaching $461.95. 910,767 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,153,347. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. Lockheed Martin Co. has a twelve month low of $393.77 and a twelve month high of $479.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $446.80 and its 200 day moving average is $445.23. The firm has a market cap of $110.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.46.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $6.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.53. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 85.96% and a net margin of 9.73%. The company had revenue of $17.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.43 earnings per share. Lockheed Martin’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be issued a dividend of $3.15 per share. This represents a $12.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on LMT shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $460.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $380.00 to $377.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Lockheed Martin from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $475.00 to $518.00 in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on Lockheed Martin from $550.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $485.40.

Lockheed Martin Profile

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.