Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) Shares Sold by Wills Financial Group Inc.

Wills Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,172 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,838 shares during the period. Lockheed Martin accounts for approximately 4.4% of Wills Financial Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Wills Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $10,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake 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 worth $600,412,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233,275 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,471,071 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,630,492,000 after buying an additional 1,132,461 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $266,410,000 after buying an additional 507,312 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the fourth quarter valued at $229,987,000. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 47,002.5% during the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 433,343 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $210,579,000 after purchasing an additional 432,423 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total transaction of $312,925.27. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $884,840. This trade represents a 61.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,133 shares of company stock worth $3,155,916 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

LMT opened at $477.82 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $455.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $492.43. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 52-week low of $418.88 and a 52-week high of $618.95. The company has a market cap of $112.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.47, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.34 by $0.94. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 101.47%. The firm had revenue of $17.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.83 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $3.30 per share. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 57.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Melius Research lowered Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $481.00 to $499.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Melius lowered Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.79.

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.