Lockheed Martin (LMT) ended the recent trading session at $467.61, demonstrating a +0.31% swing from the preceding day's closing price. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.64%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.85%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.31%.

Heading into today, shares of the aerospace and defense company had gained 10.16% over the past month, outpacing the Aerospace sector's gain of 1.09% and the S&P 500's loss of 7.69% in that time.

The upcoming earnings release of Lockheed Martin will be of great interest to investors. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $6.44, showcasing a 1.74% upward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $17.74 billion, indicating a 3.19% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $27.47 per share and revenue of $74.27 billion. These totals would mark changes of -3.51% and +4.55%, respectively, from last year.

Furthermore, it would be beneficial for investors to monitor any recent shifts in analyst projections for Lockheed Martin. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-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, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.06% increase. Lockheed Martin is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

In the context of valuation, Lockheed Martin is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 16.97. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 19.62.

It's also important to note that LMT currently trades at a PEG ratio of 2.18. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. The Aerospace - Defense was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.79 at yesterday's closing price.

The Aerospace - Defense industry is part of the Aerospace sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 75, finds itself in the top 30% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered 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.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.

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Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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