Analysts Expect Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) Will Post Earnings of $6.22 Per Share

Analysts predict that Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT – Get Rating) will announce $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Four analysts have made estimates for Lockheed Martin’s earnings. The lowest EPS estimate is $6.13 and the highest is $6.26. Lockheed Martin posted earnings of $6.56 per share during the same quarter last year, which would suggest a negative year-over-year growth rate of 5.2%. The firm is expected to report its next earnings results before the market opens on Monday, January 1st.

On average, analysts expect that Lockheed Martin will report full-year earnings of $26.77 per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from $26.65 to $27.20. For the next fiscal year, analysts expect that the business will report earnings of $28.29 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $27.70 to $28.95. Zacks’ earnings per share calculations are an average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that cover Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $7.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $7.23 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $17.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.66 billion. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 9.42% and a return on equity of 91.52%. Lockheed Martin’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.38 EPS.

LMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $467.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $400.00 to $486.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $410.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 26th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $365.00 to $415.00 in a report on Thursday, January 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $376.00 to $425.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $427.09.

In other Lockheed Martin news, EVP Stephanie C. Hill sold 1,418 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $449.80, for a total transaction of $637,816.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO John Frank A. St sold 8,063 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $435.91, for a total value of $3,514,742.33. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 17,250 shares of company stock valued at $7,464,599. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 116.4% in the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 19,690 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,691,000 after acquiring an additional 10,592 shares during the period. Scharf Investments LLC increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 13.1% in the first quarter. Scharf Investments LLC now owns 356,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $157,280,000 after buying an additional 41,315 shares in the last quarter. Kowal Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the first quarter worth about $247,000. WealthBridge Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 1st quarter valued at about $217,000. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 420 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. 74.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LMT traded down $1.53 on Friday, hitting $467.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,965,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,983,826. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $432.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $381.22. The firm has a market cap of $124.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.79. Lockheed Martin has a 12 month low of $324.23 and a 12 month high of $479.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 1st were given a dividend of $2.80 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 28th. This represents a $11.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 49.21%.

Lockheed Martin Company Profile (Get Rating)

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. It operates through four segments: Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space.

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