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

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. 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 changing hands.

The aerospace company reported $7.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.22 by $0.72. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 91.42% and a net margin of 8.16%.The business had revenue of $20.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. Lockheed Martin’s revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.950-30.650 EPS.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $3.45 dividend. This represents a $13.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.87%.

Lockheed Martin News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lockheed beat Q2 expectations with EPS of $7.94 and revenue of $20.06 billion, helped by 10.5% year-over-year sales growth. Reuters: Lockheed Martin lifts 2026 forecasts as Pentagon seeks to restock weapons
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised 2026 guidance for both sales and earnings, signaling management confidence in sustained demand and improved execution. PR Newswire: Lockheed Martin Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Backlog hit a record $230 billion, boosted by major contracts such as the $35 billion THAAD interceptor award, giving investors long-term revenue visibility. Yahoo Finance: Lockheed Martin Says Record Backlog Will Fuel Sales Growth for Years to Come
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted expanding munitions production and broader defense demand, which should support future growth as the Pentagon replenishes weapons stockpiles. WSJ: Lockheed Martin Raises Full-Year Outlook on Continued Expansion of Munitions Production
• Neutral Sentiment: Lockheed also unveiled new missile-defense technology and continued investing ahead of contract awards, a strategic move that could help growth but adds some execution risk. Benzinga: Lockheed Isn’t Waiting For Pentagon Orders Anymore
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still caution that execution needs to stay consistent, so future gains may depend on whether management can keep deliveries, margins, and production ramp-ups on track. Yahoo Finance: Lockheed Martin Posted Strong Q2 Results but Execution Remains Key, RBC Says

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $600.00 to $560.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $615.00 to $575.00 and set a “hold” 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 on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $624.94.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,376 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $665,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Garner Asset Management Corp raised its stake in Lockheed Martin by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 1,735 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $839,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Davis R M Inc. lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 1,264 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $612,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 484 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aspire Growth Partners LLC grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Aspire Growth Partners LLC now owns 2,515 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,217,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 2.5%

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $523.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $573.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $134.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.48, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

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.