Lockheed Martin Corporation $LMT Shares Acquired by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) by 34.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 5,035 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $9,565,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Carnegie Investment Counsel raised its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 11.4% during the third quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 29,639 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $14,796,000 after purchasing an additional 3,031 shares in the last quarter. VCI Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the third quarter valued at about $3,075,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 22.4% in the third quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 25,423 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $12,688,000 after buying an additional 4,652 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 29.2% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 10,036 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,010,000 after buying an additional 2,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 9.3% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 39,410 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $19,674,000 after buying an additional 3,352 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of LMT opened at $591.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.05, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $637.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $551.29. Lockheed Martin Corporation has a 1-year low of $410.11 and a 1-year high of $692.00. The stock has a market cap of $136.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.23.

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

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a dividend of $3.45 per share. This represents a $13.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.22%.

Key Stories Impacting Lockheed Martin

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

• Positive Sentiment: Won a sizable Pentagon contract: Lockheed secured a sole‑source, IDIQ $1.9 billion award to continue C‑130J maintenance and the Aircrew Training System program — a near‑term revenue and backlog boost for sustainment services. Lockheed Martin (LMT) Secures $1.9 Billion Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Potential large U.S. defense budget tailwind: Commentaries point to a proposed surge in defense spending (discussion of figures up to ~$1.5T) that would favor prime contractors like LMT through higher topline opportunity across aircraft, missiles and sustainment. This narrative supports longer‑term growth expectations. 3 Powerhouse Defense Stocks That Can’t Be Ignored as Trump Ramps Up Iran War Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Product expansion that can drive future aftermarket and retrofit revenue: Reports indicate Lockheed is adding modular armed kits for Black Hawk helicopters, increasing mission flexibility and potential upgrade/repeat business for global operators. Is Lockheed Martin Expanding Black Hawk Helicopters With Armed Kits?
• Neutral Sentiment: Backlog and balance‑sheet strength support resilience: Analysis highlights Lockheed’s large backlog and cash generation as cushions against budget swings, making the company a longer‑term hold for some investors despite near‑term volatility. Got $7,500? 1 Defense Stock With the Backlog and Balance Sheet to Weather Any Trump‑Era Budget Swing.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed expectations on earnings cadence: Some analysts note Lockheed’s history of earnings surprises, which could support upside if execution remains strong, but timing and magnitude are uncertain. Will Lockheed (LMT) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term earnings pressure flagged: An earnings preview flagged expectations for a decline in upcoming quarterly results, which can pressure the stock until clarity arrives on margins and program timing. Earnings Preview: Lockheed Martin (LMT) Q1 Earnings Expected to Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Political/industry risk and contractor scrutiny: Coverage on private‑equity influence and possible conditions tied to a larger defense budget highlights regulatory and political risks that could complicate contract terms, margins or future procurement timing. A Private Equity Billionaire Mounts His Biggest Takeover Yet: the Pentagon

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LMT. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $464.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $740.00 to $770.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. DZ Bank cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $665.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $515.00 to $680.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $580.00 to $663.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $645.79.

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.