Lockheed Martin lifts 2026 forecasts as Pentagon seeks to restock weapons
Lockheed Martin and RTX posted record backlogs and higher full-year outlooks, while investors bet stronger demand will keep cash flow rising.
- On Thursday, defense contractors Lockheed Martin and RTX reported beat-and-raise Q2 results, sending shares surging 10% and 7% respectively as investors responded to record backlog growth.
- Lockheed Martin secured a $35 billion THAAD interceptor agreement with the Missile Defense Agency, pushing its total backlog to a record $230.4 billion, up 38.3% year-over-year.
- RTX delivered adjusted EPS of $1.89 on revenue of $24.7 billion, up 16% organically, while raising full-year revenue outlook to $95–$96 billion amid strong Patriot and AMRAAM demand.
- The rally spread across the broader aerospace and defense sector, with the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF rising as investors interpreted these results as confirmation of sustained industry demand.
- Despite gains exceeding 30% over the past year, analysts caution that position sizing should remain measured, noting year-over-year comparisons benefited from prior-period losses tied to classified programs.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Defense Contractors Amass Record Backlogs as Military Spending Ramps Up
It was starting to look as if a kamikaze drone had blown up what some were calling a defense sector bubble. Heading into yesterday, shares in US defense contractors RTX and Lockheed Martin had fallen 3.8% and 22%, respectively, since the Iran war began on February 28. Investors fretted that defense spending could be nearing its peak, with the Trump administration’s latest Pentagon budget request marking the biggest ask since the nation held “fir…
It has been reported that revenue for U.S. defense companies has increased significantly as the war with Iran drags on. As the U.S. escalates its attacks against Iran, defense companies are facing pressure from the U.S. Department of Defense to increase production. According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 23rd (local time), RTX, the parent company of U.S. defense firms Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon, is recording a record-br…
Lockheed Martin Ventures to invest $100M in European defense firms
The fund is interested in emerging technologies, the general manager of Lockheed Martin’s venture arm told Breaking Defense, including quantum computing and sensing, autonomy, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
