Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Shares of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $496.87, but opened at $531.89. Lockheed Martin shares last traded at $534.8220, with a volume of 1,691,145 shares changing hands.

Key Stories Impacting Lockheed Martin

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large proposed defense budget: President Trump’s proposal to raise U.S. military spending toward $1.5 trillion has pushed defense names higher and is the primary near‑term driver supporting LMT’s rally. A $1.5 Trillion Reason to Buy Lockheed Martin Stock in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Operational momentum: Lockheed reported a record 191 F‑35 deliveries in 2025, reinforcing production scale and contract leverage that investors reward in a higher‑budget scenario. Lockheed says 2025 F-35 deliveries hit 191 as demand lifts production pace
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade / attractive risk/reward: Truist upgraded LMT, saying the risk/reward looks more attractive after 2025 weakness — a catalyst for buyers seeking exposure to a higher‑spend backdrop. After a Tough 2025, Lockheed Martin Stock Can Have a Better 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Upgraded estimates: Several Zacks analyst notes raised near‑term EPS estimates for 2026/2027, supporting an earnings outlook that justifies premium defense multiples if budgets rise. Lockheed Martin (LMT Stock) Climbs On Trump’s Defense Budget Comments: These Congress Members Could Profit
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑term price action/volume: Coverage notes the stock moved on heavy volume and that recent earnings‑estimate revisions are mixed; technical momentum may continue but could be choppy. Lockheed (LMT) Surges 4.3%: Is This an Indication of Further Gains?
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/policy risk — buybacks & dividends: An executive order and social‑media posts from the president targeting buybacks/dividends for defense contractors caused sharp volatility and could pressure shareholder returns going forward. Trump signs order to block defense companies from buying back stock until arms production improves
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment whipsaw from presidential comments: Markets reacted to posts about restricting buybacks/dividends, briefly hitting shares before the budget news reversed some losses — political headlines remain a wild card. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman Shares Hit by Trump Post on Share Buybacks

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on LMT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Lockheed Martin from $440.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $490.00 to $590.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Lockheed Martin in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $398.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $543.00 target price (down previously from $630.00) on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $512.35.

Lockheed Martin Trading Up 4.7%

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $473.83 and a 200 day moving average of $468.01. The firm has a market cap of $125.62 billion, a PE ratio of 30.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.32.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.33 by $0.62. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 111.84% and a net margin of 5.73%.The firm had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.84 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2025 guidance at 22.150-22.350 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO John Frank A. St sold 7,792 shares of Lockheed Martin stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.04, for a total value of $3,826,183.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 1 shares in the company, valued at approximately $491.04. The trade was a 99.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lockheed Martin

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its position in Lockheed Martin by 11.4% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. VCI Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $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 worth $12,688,000 after buying an additional 4,652 shares during 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 worth $5,010,000 after buying an additional 2,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laffer Tengler Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 482.6% during the 2nd quarter. Laffer Tengler Investments Inc. now owns 6,979 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,232,000 after purchasing an additional 5,781 shares in the last quarter. 74.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lockheed Martin Company 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.