Merit Financial Group LLC Increases Stake in Lockheed Martin Corporation $LMT

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) by 73.7% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 22,518 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,557 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $10,429,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 410.2% during the 1st quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 17,626 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,874,000 after acquiring an additional 14,171 shares during the period. PTM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the 1st quarter valued at about $377,000. First American Bank grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 18.8% in the 1st quarter. First American Bank now owns 8,393 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,749,000 after acquiring an additional 1,327 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 21.2% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 40,380 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $18,038,000 after acquiring an additional 7,052 shares during the period. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. raised its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 18.6% during the first quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. now owns 17,129 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,652,000 after acquiring an additional 2,686 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

Shares of LMT stock opened at $504.69 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $455.88 and a 200 day moving average of $460.66. Lockheed Martin Corporation has a 1 year low of $410.11 and a 1 year high of $618.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.28.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.57 by $0.72. The company had revenue of $18.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.59 billion. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 107.60%. Lockheed Martin’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.11 EPS. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2025 guidance at 21.700-22.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LMT. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Lockheed Martin from $550.00 to $490.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Lockheed Martin from $480.00 to $440.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Truist Financial downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $554.00 to $440.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Lockheed Martin from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $494.00.

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.