Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Up 4.7% After Analyst Upgrade

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) traded up 4.7% during mid-day trading on Friday after Truist Financial upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. Truist Financial now has a $605.00 price target on the stock. Lockheed Martin traded as high as $546.07 and last traded at $542.8670. 2,632,373 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 6% from the average session volume of 2,790,831 shares. The stock had previously closed at $518.44.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Lockheed Martin to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $490.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $517.00 to $492.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $497.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $512.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin

In other news, COO John Frank A. St sold 7,792 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.04, for a total transaction of $3,826,183.68. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 1 shares in the company, valued at $491.04. The trade was a 99.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Lockheed Martin

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large proposed defense budget: President Trump’s proposal to raise U.S. military spending toward $1.5 trillion has pushed defense names higher and is the primary near‑term driver supporting LMT’s rally. A $1.5 Trillion Reason to Buy Lockheed Martin Stock in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Operational momentum: Lockheed reported a record 191 F‑35 deliveries in 2025, reinforcing production scale and contract leverage that investors reward in a higher‑budget scenario. Lockheed says 2025 F-35 deliveries hit 191 as demand lifts production pace
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade / attractive risk/reward: Truist upgraded LMT, saying the risk/reward looks more attractive after 2025 weakness — a catalyst for buyers seeking exposure to a higher‑spend backdrop. After a Tough 2025, Lockheed Martin Stock Can Have a Better 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Upgraded estimates: Several Zacks analyst notes raised near‑term EPS estimates for 2026/2027, supporting an earnings outlook that justifies premium defense multiples if budgets rise. Lockheed Martin (LMT Stock) Climbs On Trump’s Defense Budget Comments: These Congress Members Could Profit
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑term price action/volume: Coverage notes the stock moved on heavy volume and that recent earnings‑estimate revisions are mixed; technical momentum may continue but could be choppy. Lockheed (LMT) Surges 4.3%: Is This an Indication of Further Gains?
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/policy risk — buybacks & dividends: An executive order and social‑media posts from the president targeting buybacks/dividends for defense contractors caused sharp volatility and could pressure shareholder returns going forward. Trump signs order to block defense companies from buying back stock until arms production improves
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment whipsaw from presidential comments: Markets reacted to posts about restricting buybacks/dividends, briefly hitting shares before the budget news reversed some losses — political headlines remain a wild card. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman Shares Hit by Trump Post on Share Buybacks

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the third quarter worth $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake 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 during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 4.7%

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $473.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $468.07. The company has a market cap of $125.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.32, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.33 by $0.62. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 5.73% and a return on equity of 111.84%. The firm had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.84 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2025 guidance at 22.150-22.350 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.