Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Grows Position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 329,672 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,345 shares during the quarter. Lockheed Martin makes up approximately 1.2% of Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.14% of Lockheed Martin worth $160,201,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LMT. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 53,784.3% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,235,568 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $600,412,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233,275 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,471,071 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,630,492,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132,461 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 1,239.6% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 548,237 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $266,410,000 after buying an additional 507,312 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 8.5% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,074,855 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,797,437,000 after buying an additional 240,306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at about $77,376,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

Shares of Lockheed Martin stock opened at $441.41 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $456.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $510.30. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 12-month low of $419.70 and a 12-month high of $618.95. The firm has a market cap of $103.90 billion, a PE ratio of 19.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.58 by $1.09. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.47% and a net margin of 7.51%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $3.30 per share. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.42, for a total transaction of $1,421,495.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $884,840. This trade represents a 61.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total value of $312,925.27. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,265.58. The trade was a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LMT shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $565.00 to $515.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $555.00 to $525.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $539.53.

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.