Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT – Get Free Report) dropped 6.9% during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $591.12 and last traded at $594.7130. Approximately 3,044,757 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 107% from the average session volume of 1,471,365 shares. The stock had previously closed at $639.00.
Key Lockheed Martin News
Here are the key news stories impacting Lockheed Martin this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $735 price target, signaling confidence in the stock’s prospects. Guggenheim coverage
- Positive Sentiment: Lockheed’s missile business may benefit from sustained demand: an InvestorPlace analysis highlighted a multiyear PAC-3 contract valued at about $58.6 billion and a planned production ramp. It also noted execution risks, including supplier capacity and cost control. InvestorPlace analysis
- Positive Sentiment: The company plans to invest $420 million to expand its Camden, Arkansas, operations, with 650 jobs expected over five years—an investment in capacity that could support future defense production. Camden expansion
- Negative Sentiment: Democratic midterm wins put Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress, prompting concern that a proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget request could be reduced to $1.1 trillion. The potential funding restraint weighed on defense stocks, including LMT. Election and defense spending concerns
- Negative Sentiment: Lockheed agreed to pay $29.5 million to settle a federal probe over allegations related to its diversity efforts. The settlement may raise compliance and reputational concerns for a major government contractor. Federal probe settlement
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $600.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup raised their price target on Lockheed Martin from $691.00 to $706.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Barclays boosted their price target on Lockheed Martin from $554.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on Lockheed Martin in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $650.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $620.00 price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Monday, October 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lockheed Martin has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $647.00.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin Stock Down 6.9%
The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04. The company has a market capitalization of $137.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.13, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.07. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $547.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $569.64.
Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.52 by $0.45. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 83.41%. The company had revenue of $20.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.95 EPS. Lockheed Martin’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 30.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $3.60 per share. This is an increase from Lockheed Martin’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.45. This represents a $14.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.02%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LMT. Texas Bank & Trust Co grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 3.4% during the third quarter. Texas Bank & Trust Co now owns 2,723 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,387,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 1.4% in the third quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,714 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,891,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. AlphaCore Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 6,082 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,097,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 46,903 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $23,710,000 after purchasing an additional 4,981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, StoneRidge PMG Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 3rd quarter worth $773,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.
About Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security and aerospace company headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Formed in 1995 through the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta, the company develops and produces advanced defense, aerospace, and technology systems for government and commercial customers.
Its principal business areas include Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space. Products and services include military aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II, C-130 Hercules, and F-16 Fighting Falcon; missile-defense and precision-strike systems; helicopters and naval systems; command, control, communications, and intelligence technologies; satellites; space exploration systems; and other classified space and defense programs.
Lockheed Martin serves the U.S.
Recommended Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Lockheed Martin
- Why ExxonMobil and Chevron Reminded Investors to Keep it Simple
- Amazon Has Erased Its Earnings Sell-Off, But Is the Biggest Opportunity Still Ahead?
- onsemi’s AI Sales Surge 175%: Is a Stock Recovery Next?
- Energy Transfer’s Earnings Miss May Be Hiding Its Strongest Advantage
Receive News & Ratings for Lockheed Martin Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lockheed Martin and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
