Lockheed Martin Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:LMT)

Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) saw unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Investors bought 16,855 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 63% compared to the typical volume of 10,335 call options.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 0.4 %

Lockheed Martin stock traded up $2.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $527.99. The company had a trading volume of 299,086 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,073,781. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $569.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $528.50. Lockheed Martin has a 12 month low of $413.92 and a 12 month high of $618.95. The company has a market capitalization of $125.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.49.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.50 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $17.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.38 billion. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.44% and a net margin of 9.36%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.77 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin will post 26.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. This is an increase from Lockheed Martin’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.15. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on LMT. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $560.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $705.00 to $695.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Lockheed Martin from $503.00 to $599.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $611.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LMT. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 60,592.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,559,178 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $911,433,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556,609 shares in the last quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 56,626.7% in the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 1,021,081 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $476,947,000 after acquiring an additional 1,019,281 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 124.0% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 450,870 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $263,561,000 after acquiring an additional 249,591 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 8.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,074,855 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,797,437,000 after acquiring an additional 240,306 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 6.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,389,025 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,981,088,000 after buying an additional 209,591 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.