Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Trading Down 2.6% – Here’s Why

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) dropped 2.6% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $588.41 and last traded at $591.5650. Approximately 1,694,253 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 1,737,776 shares. The stock had previously closed at $607.49.

Key Stories Impacting Lockheed Martin

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

• Positive Sentiment: Won a sizable Pentagon contract: Lockheed secured a sole‑source, IDIQ $1.9 billion award to continue C‑130J maintenance and the Aircrew Training System program — a near‑term revenue and backlog boost for sustainment services. Lockheed Martin (LMT) Secures $1.9 Billion Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Potential large U.S. defense budget tailwind: Commentaries point to a proposed surge in defense spending (discussion of figures up to ~$1.5T) that would favor prime contractors like LMT through higher topline opportunity across aircraft, missiles and sustainment. This narrative supports longer‑term growth expectations. 3 Powerhouse Defense Stocks That Can’t Be Ignored as Trump Ramps Up Iran War Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Product expansion that can drive future aftermarket and retrofit revenue: Reports indicate Lockheed is adding modular armed kits for Black Hawk helicopters, increasing mission flexibility and potential upgrade/repeat business for global operators. Is Lockheed Martin Expanding Black Hawk Helicopters With Armed Kits?
• Neutral Sentiment: Backlog and balance‑sheet strength support resilience: Analysis highlights Lockheed’s large backlog and cash generation as cushions against budget swings, making the company a longer‑term hold for some investors despite near‑term volatility. Got $7,500? 1 Defense Stock With the Backlog and Balance Sheet to Weather Any Trump‑Era Budget Swing.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed expectations on earnings cadence: Some analysts note Lockheed’s history of earnings surprises, which could support upside if execution remains strong, but timing and magnitude are uncertain. Will Lockheed (LMT) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term earnings pressure flagged: An earnings preview flagged expectations for a decline in upcoming quarterly results, which can pressure the stock until clarity arrives on margins and program timing. Earnings Preview: Lockheed Martin (LMT) Q1 Earnings Expected to Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Political/industry risk and contractor scrutiny: Coverage on private‑equity influence and possible conditions tied to a larger defense budget highlights regulatory and political risks that could complicate contract terms, margins or future procurement timing. A Private Equity Billionaire Mounts His Biggest Takeover Yet: the Pentagon

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $654.00 target price on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Lockheed Martin from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Lockheed Martin from $492.00 to $611.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on Lockheed Martin from $740.00 to $770.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lockheed Martin from $515.00 to $680.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lockheed Martin has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $645.79.

Lockheed Martin Trading Down 2.6%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $637.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $551.65. The company has a market capitalization of $136.33 billion, a PE ratio of 27.53, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.05.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last released its earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $20.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.84 billion. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 108.53% and a net margin of 6.69%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.67 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a $3.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $13.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is presently 64.22%.

Institutional Trading of Lockheed Martin

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 107.3% during 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 during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Lockheed Martin by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,728,551 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,770,729,000 after purchasing an additional 527,523 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC bought a new stake in Lockheed Martin in the third quarter worth $252,699,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $271,031,000 after acquiring an additional 375,622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 286.1% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 503,428 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $251,316,000 after acquiring an additional 373,027 shares in the last quarter. 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.