The defense contractor recently received some good news that could make it a smart buy today.Geopolitical tensions have been on the rise in recent years, especially with the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. One might expect that defense contractors have delivered outsize returns, but that just hasn't been the case.Take Lockheed Martin (LMT -0.52%), for example. From the start of 2023 until just a few weeks ago, the stock hadn't gained any ground for investors. The company has faced challenges, incl ...

The defense sector is a necessity that offers steady long-term dividend opportunities.Unfortunately, the ongoing war in Ukraine and rising tensions in the Middle East after last year's terror attack on Israel are sad reminders of the brutality of war. America's influence in the world's political landscape tends to pull the country into these situations.It can be hard to get past the humanitarian consequences of war, and investing in the companies that develop and sell the weapons and technology used to prot ...

Heightened geopolitical tensions and a rising number of major active wars ranging from Ukraine, across the Middle East and Africa, and on to Myanmar have, in recent years, given various defense companies – and their stocks – a significant boost.In the last 30 days, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), in particular, has seen positive stock market action, driven by an impressive earnings report in July, approval of sales of military hardware worth some $20 billion to Israel, continued operations in Ukraine, and the ...

For years, United States politicians have built a reputation for favoring defense stocks, coinciding with escalating global geopolitical tensions.Among the preferred stocks is Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), a leading global aerospace, defense, and security company. The equity has soared significantly in recent months, closing at $556 on August 12. Year-to-date, LMT is up over 22%, and the stock has surged 20% in the last month alone.Consequently, these stock returns have translated into notable profits for se ...

The defense company has increased its dividend for the last 21 years.Investors often choose U.S. defense stocks because they are attached to relatively safe companies. The U.S. government is a reliable customer, and there's no shortage of geopolitical tensions driving increased demand for defense spending around the globe. Moreover, stocks like Lockheed Martin (LMT -0.01%) tend to pay growing dividends.The chart below shows the stock's dividend-per-share, earnings-per-share, and free-cash-flow-per-share rat ...

The latest operating and financial trends confirm a strong start to 2024.Shares of Lockheed Martin (LMT -0.01%) have managed to hold on to a big rally this year through the recent round of extreme market volatility. The stock is up about 21% in 2024, sitting near an all-time high, even as the S&P 500 has pulled back by more than 7% from its peak in recent weeks.That dynamic is great news for investors, suggesting the stock remains well supported by strong fundamentals and a positive outlook. In this case, t ...

Earnings season continues to roll along, with the period overall showing positivity and resilience.For the roughly 90% of S&P 500 companies that have reported Q2 results, total earnings are up +10.6% from the same period last year on +5.2% higher revenues, with 79.8% beating EPS estimates and 59.2% beating revenue estimates. (As of August 7th.)Including the expectations for those that have yet to report, 2024 Q2 earnings are expected to be up 11% on 5.4% higher revenues.Image Source: Zacks Investment Resear ...

Although the majority of assets in the stock market are crashing, certain defense stocks are doing the exact opposite – rallying amid the rising geopolitical tensions that have seen new war fronts arise or threaten to appear in multiple regions as the now already ‘old’ wars continue raging.As it happens, these defense stocks, which are among the favorites of many United States politicians, some of whom sit on committees overseeing defense budgets or creating geopolitical policies, are increasing in price, d ...

Defense stocks soared in July, with many gaining double-digit figures ranging from 10% to 18%. Good results drive the moves, and the demand trends suggest that business will stay good. A trend in escalated global tensions, ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and re-armification pushed global defense spending up by 6.8% in 2023, hitting an all-time high. Spending in 2024 is escalating, accelerating the growth to double-digits, as seen in defense stock results. Get Lockheed Martin alerts:Defense ...

The defense company's stock has had a strong run recently due to derisking the F-35 program and some improved margin performance.Lockheed Martin (LMT 1.90%) stock is up 13.7% this year, and most of the gain comes after the company's recent second-quarter earnings report. Does the good news from the second quarter signal a buying opportunity, or is now the time to take advantage of the increase in the share price? Here's a look at what happened and how to think about the stock.Lockheed Martin provides some p ...