Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Lockheed Martin from a hold to a strong-buy, adding to a broader mix of analyst opinions that currently still average to a Hold rating.
• Second-quarter results beat expectations, with EPS of $7.94 and revenue of $20.06 billion, while sales rose 10.5% year over year.
• Management raised 2026 guidance and pointed to a record $230 billion backlog, supported by major defense contracts and sustained demand for munitions and missile systems.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $575.00 price target on Lockheed Martin in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $600.00 to $560.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 13th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Robert W. Baird set a $700.00 target price on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research note on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $680.00 to $605.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $624.94.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

NYSE:LMT opened at $582.73 on Friday. Lockheed Martin has a 12-month low of $412.55 and a 12-month high of $692.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $134.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.11. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $523.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $573.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The aerospace company reported $7.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.22 by $0.72. The company had revenue of $20.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.34 billion. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 91.42% and a net margin of 8.16%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.950-30.650 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin will post 30.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 60,339.0% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 879,387 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $531,493,000 after purchasing an additional 877,932 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 107.3% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,293,823 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $625,784,000 after buying an additional 669,604 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,728,551 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,770,729,000 after buying an additional 527,523 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 3,497.5% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 451,276 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $272,746,000 after acquiring an additional 438,732 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 203.3% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 560,363 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $271,031,000 after acquiring an additional 375,622 shares during the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Lockheed Martin

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed beat Q2 expectations with EPS of $7.94 and revenue of $20.06 billion, helped by 10.5% year-over-year sales growth. Reuters: Lockheed Martin lifts 2026 forecasts as Pentagon seeks to restock weapons
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised 2026 guidance for both sales and earnings, signaling management confidence in sustained demand and improved execution. PR Newswire: Lockheed Martin Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Backlog hit a record $230 billion, boosted by major contracts such as the $35 billion THAAD interceptor award, giving investors long-term revenue visibility. Yahoo Finance: Lockheed Martin Says Record Backlog Will Fuel Sales Growth for Years to Come
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted expanding munitions production and broader defense demand, which should support future growth as the Pentagon replenishes weapons stockpiles. WSJ: Lockheed Martin Raises Full-Year Outlook on Continued Expansion of Munitions Production
• Neutral Sentiment: Lockheed also unveiled new missile-defense technology and continued investing ahead of contract awards, a strategic move that could help growth but adds some execution risk. Benzinga: Lockheed Isn't Waiting For Pentagon Orders Anymore
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still caution that execution needs to stay consistent, so future gains may depend on whether management can keep deliveries, margins, and production ramp-ups on track. Yahoo Finance: Lockheed Martin Posted Strong Q2 Results but Execution Remains Key, RBC Says

About Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin Corporation NYSE: LMT is a global aerospace and defense company that designs, develops and manufactures advanced technology systems for government and commercial customers. Formed through the 1995 merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta, the company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, and focuses on providing integrated solutions across air, space, land and sea domains. Its primary customers include the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and allied governments around the world.

Lockheed Martin's product and service portfolio spans military aircraft, missile and fire-control systems, missile defense, space systems and satellite technologies, sensors and precision weapons.

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