Short Interest in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) Drops By 22.9%

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) saw a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,620,000 shares, a decrease of 22.9% from the February 28th total of 3,400,000 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,610,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $611.00 to $523.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Melius Research cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America lowered shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $685.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Truist Financial began coverage on Lockheed Martin in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $579.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Lockheed Martin from $527.00 to $508.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $539.53.

Insider Activity at Lockheed Martin

In other Lockheed Martin news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $884,840. This represents a 61.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,265.58. This represents a 23.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,133 shares of company stock valued at $3,155,916 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vinva Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 656 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $382,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Wynn Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 2,185 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,062,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,745 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nvwm LLC grew its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 908 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $441,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE LMT traded up $4.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $452.83. 784,592 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,641,035. The company’s 50-day moving average is $454.45 and its 200-day moving average is $508.19. Lockheed Martin has a 52-week low of $419.70 and a 52-week high of $618.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43.

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

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $3.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.30%.

Lockheed Martin Company 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.