Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Down 1.4% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) traded down 1.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $596.48 and last traded at $598.0650. 793,114 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average session volume of 1,534,170 shares. The stock had previously closed at $606.72.

Key Lockheed Martin News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed Martin’s space business is positioned as a potential growth driver as demand for missile-defense systems increases. The company’s expanding role in next-generation defense programs could support long-term sales growth. Can Lockheed Martin’s Space Business Become Its Next Growth Driver?
• Positive Sentiment: The company said its ICBM-interceptor program passed two key tests ahead of a 2026 design review, reducing technical risk for a strategically important missile-defense effort. ICBM Killer Passes Two Key Tests Ahead of 2026 Design Review
• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed Martin, Verizon, NVIDIA and other partners demonstrated an AI-enabled drone-detection platform using existing 5G infrastructure. The technology could broaden LMT’s addressable market to airports, cities and critical infrastructure. Lockheed Martin, Verizon and Partners Demonstrate Airspace Protection Technology
• Positive Sentiment: Reports of depleted U.S. missile inventories and a Pentagon push to replenish stockpiles could create additional orders for LMT’s Patriot and other missile systems. One report cited a potential $58.62 billion Patriot-missile contract, although investors should verify the award’s terms and timing. Lockheed Martin Secures Reported Pentagon Patriot-Missile Contract
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerages’ consensus price target of $626.33 indicates additional potential upside, but target prices are estimates and do not necessarily reflect near-term catalysts. Lockheed Martin Receives Consensus Target Price
• Negative Sentiment: The drone and missile-defense announcements are demonstrations, testing milestones or prospective awards, so they may not immediately improve LMT’s financial results. The stock’s decline suggests investors may be focused on execution, contract timing and valuation rather than the strategic potential of these programs.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $615.00 to $575.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $700.00 price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings raised Lockheed Martin from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $600.00 target price on Lockheed Martin in a research report on Monday, July 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $632.39.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34. The stock has a market cap of $138.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.04, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $539.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $576.18.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The aerospace company reported $7.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.22 by $0.72. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 91.42%. The company had revenue of $20.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. Lockheed Martin’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.950-30.650 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 30.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $3.45 dividend. This represents a $13.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 50.87%.

Institutional Trading of Lockheed Martin

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Burnham & Co LLC purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 55 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.