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

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) was upgraded by investment analysts at Truist Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $605.00 price objective on the aerospace company’s stock. Truist Financial’s price target suggests a potential upside of 11.45% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $517.00 to $492.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $543.00 price objective (down previously from $630.00) on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $490.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $512.35.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

Lockheed Martin stock opened at $542.87 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $125.62 billion, a PE ratio of 30.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $473.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $468.07. Lockheed Martin has a 52-week low of $410.11 and a 52-week high of $546.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.32.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, COO John Frank A. St sold 7,792 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491.04. The trade was a 99.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LMT. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,697,527 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $10,048,993,000 after acquiring an additional 214,565 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 0.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,884,954 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,256,147,000 after purchasing an additional 19,459 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,384,753 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,190,493,000 after purchasing an additional 79,491 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,196,058 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,096,294,000 after purchasing an additional 87,663 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,022,940 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $510,662,000 after purchasing an additional 63,430 shares during the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lockheed Martin News Summary

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.