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Lockheed Martin (LMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

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Lockheed Martin (LMT - Free Report) closed at $412.90 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.18% move from the prior day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.4%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.13%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.45%.

Heading into today, shares of the aerospace and defense company had lost 8.3% over the past month, lagging the Aerospace sector's loss of 7.79% and the S&P 500's loss of 1.38% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from Lockheed Martin as it approaches its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect Lockheed Martin to post earnings of $6.69 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 2.62%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $16.64 billion, up 0.34% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $27.16 per share and revenue of $66.62 billion. These totals would mark changes of -0.26% and +0.97%, respectively, from last year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Lockheed Martin. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.06% lower within the past month. Lockheed Martin is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Looking at its valuation, Lockheed Martin is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 15.23. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 15.02, so we one might conclude that Lockheed Martin is trading at a premium comparatively.

It is also worth noting that LMT currently has a PEG ratio of 2.35. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Aerospace - Defense was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.76 at yesterday's closing price.

The Aerospace - Defense industry is part of the Aerospace sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 95, which puts it in the top 38% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow LMT in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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