Lockheed Martin Corporation $LMT Stock Purchased by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) by 11.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,327 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 1,302 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $6,278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LMT. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,975,170 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $16,799,530,000 after purchasing an additional 419,582 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 2nd quarter worth about $9,617,574,000. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 3,983.3% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 7,110,961 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,622,750,000 after buying an additional 6,936,814 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 44.8% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 3,030,638 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,543,352,000 after buying an additional 937,105 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the second quarter worth about $645,258,000. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lockheed Martin Stock Down 1.1%

LMT opened at $603.53 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $552.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $569.92. Lockheed Martin Corporation has a 52 week low of $437.25 and a 52 week high of $692.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04. The stock has a market cap of $139.42 billion, a PE ratio of 21.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.07.

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

Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a $3.60 dividend. This represents a $14.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This is a positive change from Lockheed Martin’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.45. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.02%.

Key Stories Impacting Lockheed Martin

These are some of the LMT stories that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: An investment commentary argues that LMT remains attractive despite budget debate, citing a reported record $292 billion backlog, ongoing production ramps, and an F-35 framework that may improve planning and investment visibility. Article: Lockheed Martin Stock Looks Attractive Despite the Budget Debate
• Positive Sentiment: A separate Zacks roundup names Lockheed Martin among defense companies that could benefit from rising defense spending, strong order backlogs, and improving earnings outlooks—supportive sector context, rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Article: Buy 4 Aerospace Defense Behemoths to Enhance Your Portfolio Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: A report on Iranian threats and the Treasury Secretary’s move to a military base adds geopolitical context that could reinforce defense concerns, but it does not describe a direct development for Lockheed Martin. Article: The Treasury Secretary Is Now Living on a Military Base After Iranian Threats

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Vertical Research raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $615.00 price target on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Sunday, October 25th. Barclays upped their price target on Lockheed Martin from $554.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $653.00 to $690.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $647.00.

Lockheed Martin 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.