Truist Financial Upgrades Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) to Strong-Buy

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) was upgraded by Truist Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on LMT. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $543.00 price target (down previously from $630.00) on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Lockheed Martin from $440.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Lockheed Martin in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Lockheed Martin in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $505.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $490.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $512.35.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 4.7%

Lockheed Martin stock opened at $542.87 on Friday. Lockheed Martin has a 1-year low of $410.11 and a 1-year high of $546.07. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $473.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $468.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.32, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.31, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.24.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lockheed Martin news, COO John Frank A. St sold 7,792 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.04, for a total transaction of $3,826,183.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 1 shares in the company, valued at approximately $491.04. This trade represents a 99.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,941,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Lockheed Martin during the first quarter valued at $21,079,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 36.5% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 117,063 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $51,805,000 after buying an additional 31,323 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 170.9% in the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,923 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,306,000 after buying an additional 1,844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.8% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 92,320 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,240,000 after acquiring an additional 1,603 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin News Roundup

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

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.