Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading 2.4% Higher - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Lockheed Martin shares rose 2.4% on Wednesday, trading near $521 after hitting an intraday high of $524.24, though volume was below average.
• The biggest positive catalyst was a wave of new defense business, including roughly $38 billion in contracts such as a $35.5 billion THAAD missile defense award and a $3 billion U.S. Army radar production contract.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Citi and several others see upside, but UBS cut its price target to $538 and the overall consensus rating stays at Hold, even as Lockheed continues to pay a 2.6% dividend yield.

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 2.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $524.24 and last traded at $521.4670. Approximately 1,276,090 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 1,629,486 shares. The stock had previously closed at $509.46.

Lockheed Martin News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed Martin won roughly $38 billion in defense work, including a $35.5 billion THAAD missile defense contract and a $2.9 billion radar contract, while Citi raised its rating to Buy with a $582 price target. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also won a $3 billion U.S. Army radar production contract, adding to the view that demand for Lockheed Martin’s air and missile defense systems remains strong. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed Martin and a Finnish partner set up a missile sustainment center in Finland, reinforcing its international footprint and recurring support revenue potential. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Lockheed Martin announced it will webcast its second-quarter 2026 earnings call on July 23, keeping investors focused on upcoming results and guidance rather than providing new operational details today. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target on Lockheed Martin to $538 from $683, which is a negative sentiment signal but still implies upside from recent trading levels. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One article highlighted a possible stock buyback ban for defense contractors, which could be a headwind for shareholder returns if proposals like that gain traction. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Lockheed Martin from $650.00 to $575.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Argus lifted their target price on Lockheed Martin from $530.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $740.00 to $700.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $613.63.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $120.23 billion, a PE ratio of 25.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $522.43 and a 200-day moving average of $568.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $6.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.79 by ($0.35). Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.64% and a net margin of 6.38%.The company had revenue of $18.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.28 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.350-30.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 29.88 EPS for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $3.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $13.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Lockheed Martin's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.83%.

Institutional Trading of Lockheed Martin

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LMT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,941,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 5.4% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 973 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Lockheed Martin by 17.3% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,460 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $676,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its position in Lockheed Martin by 36.0% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 2,250 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,042,000 after acquiring an additional 595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 18.2% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 86,569 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $40,092,000 after acquiring an additional 13,300 shares during the period. 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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