Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Up 2.4% Following Analyst Upgrade

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)’s share price traded up 2.4% on Wednesday after Citigroup raised their price target on the stock from $673.00 to $675.00. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Lockheed Martin traded as high as $619.10 and last traded at $618.6270. 1,104,061 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the average session volume of 1,867,530 shares. The stock had previously closed at $604.39.

LMT has been the topic of several other reports. DZ Bank cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $665.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $492.00 to $611.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $725.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $675.00 target price on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $634.74.

Key Headlines Impacting Lockheed Martin

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

• Positive Sentiment: Pentagon framework deal with Boeing and Lockheed lifted defense names by signaling multi‑year production and funding for precision weapons — a direct revenue/timing catalyst for LMT. Boeing Gains 5%, Lockheed Martin Up 2%: Defense Stocks Are Having a Moment as Pentagon Spending Accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed opened a Rapid Fielding/Prototyping center intended to shorten development-to-production timelines — a structural positive for winning fast‑paced government contracts. Lockheed Martin Opens Rapid Fielding Center, Accelerating Defense Innovation and Production
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup nudged its price target to $675 (still Neutral), implying modest upside that can support investor interest and validate the recent run. Citigroup Adjusts Price Target on Lockheed Martin to $675 from $673, Maintains Neutral Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo initiated coverage / set an equal‑weight $650 target — a formal broker presence that can increase analyst attention but doesn’t imply a strong buy signal. Wells Fargo Coverage Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Lockheed set its Q1 2026 earnings webcast date (April 23) — investors should watch the call for updated guidance and program timing but it’s a scheduled disclosure rather than a surprise catalyst. Lockheed Martin Announces First-Quarter 2026 Earnings Results Webcast
• Neutral Sentiment: Active defense ETFs continue to draw flows and include LMT as a top holding — a steady demand source but not a binary company‑specific catalyst. 2 Actively Managed Defense ETFs That Can Pivot as the War Evolves
• Negative Sentiment: NASA’s Artemis reset and governance questions could reshape Lockheed’s Orion role or contract scope — a program‑level risk for future space revenues. Lockheed Martin Faces Artemis Reset And Governance Questions For Future Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that the Pentagon trimmed the Air Force’s F‑35 order materially are a near‑term revenue headwind and raise uncertainty on production cadence. Lockheed Martin Hit As Pentagon Slashes Air Force’s F-35 Order In Half Amid Budget Cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Political rhetoric (e.g., Trump’s NATO comments) injects policy risk — could pressure sentiment or lead to swings in defense spending expectations depending on outcomes. Trump Toys With NATO Exit: Defense Stocks In The Crosshairs

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 107.3% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,293,823 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $625,784,000 after acquiring an additional 669,604 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,728,551 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,770,729,000 after purchasing an additional 527,523 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin during the third quarter worth approximately $252,699,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 203.3% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 560,363 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $271,031,000 after purchasing an additional 375,622 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 286.1% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 503,428 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $251,316,000 after purchasing an additional 373,027 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $142.57 billion, a PE ratio of 28.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.05. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $634.97 and its 200 day moving average is $540.22.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The aerospace company reported $5.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.33 by ($0.53). Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 6.69% and a return on equity of 108.53%. The company had revenue of $20.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.67 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $3.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $13.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is 64.22%.

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.