Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Down 2.8% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Shares down 2.8% intraday on higher-than-normal volume (≈29% above average), last trading near $556 versus a prior close of $571.95.
• Operational positives include roughly $137 million in new defense contracts and the launch of the final GPS III satellite, which boost the company’s space backlog and near‑term revenue visibility.
• Wall Street is mixed—the consensus rating is "Hold" with an average price target around $646—while Lockheed recently missed quarterly EPS expectations ($5.80 vs. $6.33) but reported revenue growth and pays a $13.80 annual dividend (~2.5% yield).

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) shares dropped 2.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $550.19 and last traded at $556.0080. Approximately 2,233,060 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 29% from the average daily volume of 1,736,452 shares. The stock had previously closed at $571.95.

Key Lockheed Martin News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed won roughly $137 million in new defense contracts, supporting near-term revenue and backlog visibility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed launched the final GPS III satellite, a milestone that advances its space franchise and long-term government program revenues. Investors are treating this as supportive for the company’s space backlog. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A subcontractor (General Atomics) was awarded work to deliver infrared payloads for Lockheed’s SDA tracking-layer program, underscoring program execution and supply-chain activity on space contracts. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein nudged its price target higher to $661 (market-perform), indicating modest analyst support and potential upside from current levels if sentiment recovers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Retail chatter spiked after the GPS III launch and recent contract wins, briefly boosting interest and volume — a technical/flow-driven positive that can amplify short-term moves. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst pieces and sector comparisons (LMT vs. GD) highlight that Lockheed remains a core defense play but faces competition from peers for relative outperformance; useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators note the stock is technically oversold and could be set up for a short-term reversal if earnings/contract cadence remains steady — a mixed signal that explains high volatility. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investigative coverage underscores the F‑35 program’s massive lifetime cost (reported at ~$2 trillion), highlighting that sustainment and repair expenses are a large, ongoing drain — this can weigh on investor perceptions of program profitability and long-run margin assumptions. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Opinion pieces argue Lockheed’s strong backlog and share gains are largely priced in and recommend other defense stocks for upside, a narrative that can pressure sentiment and limit near-term multiple expansion. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on LMT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $515.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $464.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $673.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 22nd. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $725.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $646.16.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $128.14 billion, a PE ratio of 25.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.23. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $634.73 and a 200-day moving average of $553.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.05.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $5.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.33 by ($0.53). Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 108.53% and a net margin of 6.69%.The company had revenue of $20.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.67 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 29.95 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a $3.45 dividend. This represents a $13.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Lockheed Martin's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.22%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 285.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company's stock.

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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