M Holdings Securities Inc. Acquires New Shares in Lockheed Martin Corporation $LMT

M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 8,447 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,302,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LMT. Trek Financial LLC grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 1.2% in the third quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 1,405 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $715,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. now owns 542 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Third View Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Third View Private Wealth LLC now owns 886 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Henderson Brothers Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Henderson Brothers Financial Partners LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $327,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Stock Down 0.1%

LMT opened at $566.43 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $130.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.07. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $548.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $569.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04. Lockheed Martin Corporation has a 52 week low of $437.25 and a 52 week high of $692.00.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.52 by $0.45. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 83.41% and a net margin of 8.23%. The business had revenue of $20.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.95 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 30.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $3.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This is an increase from Lockheed Martin’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.45. This represents a $14.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is presently 49.02%.

Key Stories Impacting Lockheed Martin

Here are the key news stories impacting Lockheed Martin this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks says Lockheed Martin has gained 12% over six months, supported by a record backlog, global defense demand, major contracts and strategic acquisitions. It also describes the shares as trading at a discount to the industry, which could appeal to value-focused investors. Article: LMT Trades at a Discount to the Industry
• Positive Sentiment: Industry earnings point to ongoing demand for conventional weapons as well as drones and advanced defense systems, a supportive backdrop for defense contractors, although the article does not provide Lockheed-specific results. Article: Defense earnings reveal a more complicated rearmament boom
• Neutral Sentiment: Lockheed Martin is attracting increased attention from Zacks users, but the coverage does not identify a specific new company development driving that interest. Article: What to Know Beyond Why Lockheed Martin Is a Trending Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Defense shares faced political and budget uncertainty after Democrats took control of Congress. Reports say a proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget request may be in jeopardy, raising questions about future spending and contributing to pressure on Lockheed Martin and other contractors. Article: Defense Stocks Sank as Democrats Took Congress
• Negative Sentiment: Lockheed Martin agreed to pay $29.5 million to settle federal claims that it discriminated against white workers. The payment is a cost and may bring reputational scrutiny, though it is not presented as a change to the company’s operating outlook. Article: Lockheed Martin paying $29.5M settlement

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on LMT. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $620.00 price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $700.00 price objective on Lockheed Martin in a research report on Friday, July 24th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $600.00 to $570.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $554.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $647.00.

Lockheed Martin Company Profile

Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security and aerospace company headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Formed in 1995 through the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta, the company develops and produces advanced defense, aerospace, and technology systems for government and commercial customers.

Its principal business areas include Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space. Products and services include military aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II, C-130 Hercules, and F-16 Fighting Falcon; missile-defense and precision-strike systems; helicopters and naval systems; command, control, communications, and intelligence technologies; satellites; space exploration systems; and other classified space and defense programs.

Lockheed Martin serves the U.S.