Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Stock Price Down 1.5% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Shares fell 1.5% to about $572.81 on Tuesday with volume ~1.59M shares (an 8% decline vs. average), a move attributed mainly to short‑term technical weakness and profit‑taking ahead of results.
• Positive operational news — Lockheed completed and launched the final GPS III satellite and is transitioning to GPS IIIF production, a catalyst that analysts and commentators say supports long‑term Space segment revenue and backlog and has prompted some buy recommendations.
• Mixed fundamentals and Wall Street view: Q1 EPS of $5.80 missed estimates while revenue beat at $20.32B, the company pays a $3.45 quarterly dividend (2.4% yield), and analysts’ consensus is a Hold with an average price target of $645.79.

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 1.5% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $568.84 and last traded at $572.8090. 1,593,687 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 8% from the average session volume of 1,735,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $581.28.

Key Lockheed Martin News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Successful program milestone — Lockheed completed and launched the final GPS III satellite, highlighting upgrades and the transition to GPS IIIF production, which supports long‑term Space segment revenue and backlog. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Benzinga reports premarket strength tied to the GPS launch and reiterates long‑term fundamentals are intact despite near‑term technical softness — a sign some buyers see today’s weakness as a buying opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/idea flow — Multiple outlets (Zacks lists) include LMT among defensive names with near‑term upside potential and in drone/space growth themes, reinforcing institutional interest and buy-side narratives around rising defense budgets. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile endorsement — Jim Cramer publicly called LMT a buy, highlighting expectations for a strong quarter and management execution, which can attract retail flows. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer comparison — Zacks piece compares LMT vs. General Dynamics, underscoring that both are top Pentagon contractors; useful for relative valuation/rotation decisions but not an immediate stock mover. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Revisit thesis analysis — Yahoo/other writeups note the recent pullback from highs and frame LMT as a possible entry after the short-term decline; useful context for longer‑term investors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings coverage — Zacks and Motley Fool pieces encourage reviewing Q1 expectations, key metrics and backlog strength ahead of the earnings/investor update; these previews can increase volatility as estimates get repriced. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term technical and sentiment pressure — several pieces note a short-term technical softness and recent month/week slips that are triggering profit‑taking ahead of results; that sentiment is the main driver of today’s decline. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on LMT. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $464.00 to $517.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $605.00 to $695.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $530.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $630.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Lockheed Martin from $580.00 to $663.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $645.79.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.05, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $635.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $552.59. The company has a market cap of $132.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.23.

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

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a dividend of $3.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $13.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Lockheed Martin's payout ratio is currently 64.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

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

Lockheed Martin Company Profile

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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