Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 5,280 Shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio trimmed its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,270 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 5,280 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $44,352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LMT. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. sold 3,213 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the insider now owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $884,840. This trade represents a 61.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Harry Edward Paul III sold 707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.61, for a total transaction of $312,925.27. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,265.58. This trade represents 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 worth $3,155,916 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

LMT opened at $469.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $461.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $477.48. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 1-year low of $418.88 and a 1-year high of $618.95. The company has a market cap of $109.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.29.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $17.83 billion. On average, analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $3.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $13.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on LMT. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $540.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $481.00 to $499.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Susquehanna dropped their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $510.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $541.80.

About Lockheed Martin

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.