Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Gap Up After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) shares gapped up before the market opened on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $514.36, but opened at $545.00. Lockheed Martin shares last traded at $573.3260, with a volume of 709,810 shares.

The aerospace company reported $7.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.22 by $0.72. The firm had revenue of $20.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.34 billion. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.64% and a net margin of 6.38%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.950-30.650 EPS.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $3.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $13.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio is currently 66.83%.

Key Headlines Impacting Lockheed Martin

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

• Positive Sentiment: LMT beat Q2 estimates with EPS of $7.94 and revenue of $20.06 billion, both above Wall Street expectations, while sales rose 10.5% year over year. Lockheed Martin Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised 2026 guidance, now expecting EPS of $29.95 to $30.65 and revenue of $79.8 billion to $81.8 billion, signaling stronger demand and better execution ahead. Lockheed Martin lifts 2026 forecasts as Pentagon seeks to restock weapons
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted a record $230 billion backlog, helped by a large THAAD interceptor contract and continued expansion in munitions production, reinforcing visibility into future revenue. Lockheed Martin’s stock skyrockets as push to build more missiles faster pays off
• Positive Sentiment: Rising global defense spending and Pentagon efforts to restock weapons stockpiles are boosting demand for LMT’s missile and air-defense systems. Lockheed Martin, RTX lift 2026 forecasts as Pentagon looks to restock weapons
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock is also benefiting from broad defense-sector strength, even as the wider market falls on tech-earnings and inflation worries tied to higher oil prices. LMT Stock Soars as Lockheed Martin Raises Annual Forecast

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $675.00 to $653.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $680.00 to $605.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $770.00 to $680.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $600.00 to $560.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Friday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lockheed Martin has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $615.78.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Lockheed Martin by 60,339.0% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 879,387 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $531,493,000 after acquiring an additional 877,932 shares during the last quarter. 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 purchasing an additional 669,604 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,728,551 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,770,729,000 after purchasing an additional 527,523 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 3,497.5% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 451,276 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $272,746,000 after purchasing an additional 438,732 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 203.3% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 560,363 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $271,031,000 after purchasing an additional 375,622 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 10.5%

The firm has a market capitalization of $131.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $522.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $573.14.

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.