Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Lockheed Martin (LMT) Tops Q4 Earnings & Sales Estimates

Read MoreHide Full Article

Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT - Free Report) is the largest U.S. defense contractor with a platform-centric focus that guarantees a steady inflow of follow-on orders from a leveraged presence in the Army, Air Force, Navy and IT programs.

However, a large percentage of Lockheed Martin’s business comes from the U.S. government. Hence, any cutback in the domestic defense budget is a potential risk for its future performance.

Estimate Trend & Surprise History

Investors should note that the fourth quarter Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings of $4.06 per share has remained same over the last 7 days.

Coming to the earnings surprise, Lockheed Martin Corporation has surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, resulting in a positive average surprise of 4.87%.

Zacks Rank: Currently, Lockheed Martin has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) but that could change following its fourth quarter 2017 earnings report which has just released. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.

We have highlighted some of the key details from the just-released announcement below:

Earnings: Lockheed Martin beat earnings estimate. Earnings per share came in at $4.30, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.06 by 5.9%.

Revenue: Revenues of $15.14 billion also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $14.75 billion by 2.6%.

Key Stats to Note: During the fourth quarter, net sales from Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics segment increased 12% year over year, while the same form Rotary and Missions Systems was up 14%. Sales from Space Systems decline 12%, while sales from Missiles and Fire Control segment increased 31%.

The company repurchased 7.1 million shares for $2 billion and paid cash dividends worth $2.2 billion, during 2017.

Stock Price:  Following the earnings release, share prices for the company rose a solid 3.9% in the pre-market trading session, thereby reflecting investors’ optimism surrounding the earnings release.

Check back later for our full write up on this Lockheed Martin earnings report later!

Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2018?

Last year's 2017 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio produced double-digit winners, including FMC Corp. and VMware which racked up stellar gains of +67.9% and +61%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys.

Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018 today >>


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) - free report >>

Published in