Merit Financial Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in Lockheed Martin Corporation $LMT

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

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 285.7% in the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new position in Lockheed Martin in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $630.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Lockheed Martin from $605.00 to $695.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Argus raised their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $530.00 to $735.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $615.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $464.00 to $517.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $645.79.

Trending Headlines about 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

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

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

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

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

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

Lockheed Martin Profile

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.