Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) Short Interest Update

18 Apr 2026, 14:36 by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat Gem

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,367,943 shares, a decrease of 14.6% from the March 15th total of 2,772,317 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,733,675 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on LMT shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $630.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $492.00 to $611.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Lockheed Martin from $550.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen cut Lockheed Martin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $675.00 price objective on Lockheed Martin in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $645.79.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on LMT

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

Shares of LMT stock traded down $15.93 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $591.57. The stock had a trading volume of 1,697,246 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,307,456. Lockheed Martin has a fifty-two week low of $410.11 and a fifty-two week high of $692.00. 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $637.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $551.29. The firm has a market cap of $136.33 billion, a PE ratio of 27.53, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.23.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 108.53% and a net margin of 6.69%.The firm had revenue of $20.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin will post 27.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $3.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $13.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Lockheed Martin’s payout ratio 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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 11.4% in the third quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 29,639 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $14,796,000 after purchasing an additional 3,031 shares in the last quarter. VCI Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,075,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 22.4% during the 3rd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 25,423 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $12,688,000 after purchasing an additional 4,652 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 29.2% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 10,036 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,010,000 after purchasing an additional 2,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Lockheed Martin by 9.3% in the 3rd 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.