Here's Why You Should Add Lockheed Martin Stock to Your Portfolio Now

Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT with its strong backlog, rising earnings and sales estimates, robust ROE and high solvency, offers a great investment opportunity in the Zacks Aerospace sector.

The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Let's look at the factors that are driving the stock.

LMT's Growth Projections & Surprise History

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LMT's 2025 earnings per share is pinned at $28.87, which indicates year-over-year growth of 8.9%.

The consensus estimate for 2024 sales is pinned at $71.14 billion, which indicates year-over-year growth of 5.3%.

The company's long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 4.7%.

LMT has a positive earnings surprise history. Its trailing four-quarter earnings surprise is 7.46%, on average.

LMT's Dividend Yield and Share Repurchases

Lockheed Martin has been rewarding its shareholders with dividend payments at regular intervals. Its current dividend yield is 2.08%, better than the industry's yield of 1.54%.

During the first six months of 2024, LMT repurchased 4.2 million shares worth $1.9 billion. As of June 30, 2024, the total remaining authorization for common share repurchases under the company's share repurchase program was $8.2 billion.

LMT's Return on Equity

LMT's current return on equity (ROE) is 95.03%, which is more than the industry average of 11.55%. ROE, a profitable measure, reflects how effectively a company is utilizing its shareholders' funds in its operations to generate income.

LMT's Solvency

The time-to-interest earned ratio at the end of the second quarter was 8.83. The ratio, being greater than one, reflects the company's ability to meet future interest obligations without difficulties.

LMT's Liquidity

LMT's current ratio is 1.24, better than the industry average of 1.10. The current ratio, being greater than one, indicates the company has enough short-term assets to meet its short-term obligations.

LMT's Rising Backlog

Lockheed Martin's total backlog was a solid $158.34 billion as of June 30, 2024. Such a consistent level of contract flows and subsequent backlog growth bolster its long-term revenue prospects. The company expects to recognize approximately 36% of its backlog over the next 12 months and approximately 60% over the next 24 months.

LMT Stock Price Performance

Shares of LMT have gained 31.8% in the past three months compared with the industry's 9.9% growth.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other top-ranked stocks in the industry are Air Industries Group AIRI, Leidos Holdings, Inc. LDOS and RTX Corporation RTX. AIRI sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while LDOS and RTX currently carry a Zacks Rank of 2.

AIRI delivered an average earnings surprise of 8.88% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AIRI's 2024 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 7.1%.

LDOS delivered an average earnings surprise of 23.49% in the last four quarters. The consensus estimate for LDOS's 2024 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 5.4%.

RTX delivered an average earnings surprise of 6.62% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RTX's 2024 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 7%.

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