Head to Head Review: Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) and Wheels Up Experience (NYSE:UP)

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) and Wheels Up Experience (NYSE:UP) are both aerospace companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, earnings, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Lockheed Martin and Wheels Up Experience’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lockheed Martin	5.85%	107.60%	12.13%
Wheels Up Experience	-42.68%	N/A	-25.12%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Lockheed Martin and Wheels Up Experience, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lockheed Martin	0	14	5	1	2.35
Wheels Up Experience	0	0	0	0	0.00

Lockheed Martin presently has a consensus price target of $506.3529, indicating a potential upside of 13.60%. Given Lockheed Martin’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Lockheed Martin is more favorable than Wheels Up Experience.

Volatility and Risk

Lockheed Martin has a beta of 0.27, suggesting that its stock price is 73% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Wheels Up Experience has a beta of 2.33, suggesting that its stock price is 133% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

74.2% of Lockheed Martin shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.2% of Wheels Up Experience shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Lockheed Martin shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Wheels Up Experience shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Lockheed Martin and Wheels Up Experience”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lockheed Martin	$71.04 billion	1.46	$5.34 billion	$17.76	25.10
Wheels Up Experience	$792.10 million	1.90	-$339.64 million	($0.47)	-4.58

Lockheed Martin has higher revenue and earnings than Wheels Up Experience. Wheels Up Experience is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Lockheed Martin, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Lockheed Martin beats Wheels Up Experience on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin Corporation, a security and aerospace company, engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of technology systems, products, and services worldwide. The company operates through Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space segments. The Aeronautics segment offers combat and air mobility aircraft, unmanned air vehicles, and related technologies. The Missiles and Fire Control segment provides air and missile defense systems; tactical missiles and air-to-ground precision strike weapon systems; logistics; fire control systems; mission operations support, readiness, engineering support, and integration services; manned and unmanned ground vehicles; and energy management solutions. The Rotary and Mission Systems segment offers military and commercial helicopters, surface ships, sea and land-based missile defense systems, radar systems, sea and air-based mission and combat systems, command and control mission solutions, cyber solutions, and simulation and training solutions. The Space segment offers satellites; space transportation systems; strategic, advanced strike, and defensive systems; and classified systems and services in support of national security systems. This segment also provides network-enabled situational awareness and integrates space and ground global systems to help its customers gather, analyze, and securely distribute critical intelligence data. It serves primarily serves the U.S. government, as well as foreign military sales contracted through the U.S. government. The company was founded in 1912 and is based in Bethesda, Maryland.

About Wheels Up Experience

Wheels Up Experience Inc. provides private aviation services in the United States and internationally. The company offers Wheels Up Membership program that consists of two primary membership categories, such as Individual membership for individual and business fliers; and UP for Business membership consists of small and medium enterprise, and custom enterprise solutions for business fliers that tend to spend at higher levels. Its Wheels Up Charter provides charter flight services for passenger groups, sports teams, global corporate events, and tour operations, as well as global passenger, cargo, emergency, and government services. In addition, the company offers wholesale charter services; group charter and cargo flights; maintenance, repair, and operations services; fixed-base operator services; safety and security services; and government, defense, emergency, and medical transport missions. It serves individuals, small and medium enterprises, and corporate customers. As of December 31, 2024, the company operated a fleet of 154 owned and leased aircraft. Wheels Up Experience Inc. was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Chamblee, Georgia.