Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Reduces Position in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC cut its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,088 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 133 shares during the quarter. Lockheed Martin makes up approximately 1.5% of Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $6,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LMT. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 81,305.4% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,907,328 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $927,896,000 after buying an additional 1,904,985 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 426.6% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,203,558 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $104,767,000 after buying an additional 975,012 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 586.8% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 369,500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $163,097,000 after buying an additional 315,700 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,302,719 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $9,120,920,000 after buying an additional 279,162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 5.3% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,256,069 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,320,030,000 after buying an additional 264,665 shares in the last quarter. 74.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

NYSE LMT traded down $2.62 on Monday, reaching $433.20. 960,725 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,209,516. The stock has a market cap of $104.68 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 0.48. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 12 month low of $393.77 and a 12 month high of $508.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $435.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $438.04.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The aerospace company reported $7.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.26 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $18.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.96 billion. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 79.91% and a net margin of 10.24%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.79 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a $3.15 dividend. This represents a $12.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 29th. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 45.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LMT shares. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $508.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $513.00 to $503.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $550.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $438.00 to $472.00 in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $475.00 to $470.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $491.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Gregory M. Ulmer sold 6,204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $431.19, for a total value of $2,675,102.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,604 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,434,718.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Lockheed Martin news, insider Gregory M. Ulmer sold 6,204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $431.19, for a total transaction of $2,675,102.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,604 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,434,718.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Maryanne Lavan sold 4,022 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.39, for a total value of $1,747,116.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,874 shares of company stock valued at $7,249,946 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.