Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) remains one of the most watched defense stocks in the world, and November 29, 2025 brought a fresh wave of headlines around missile defense, space contracts, drones and heavy institutional trading activity.
As of November 29, 2025, Lockheed Martin stock is trading around $457.86 per share, giving the company a market capitalization of roughly $106 billion. [1] The shares sit about 7% below their recent peak, and their one‑year total shareholder return is down roughly 11%, according to Simply Wall St. [2]
Below is a detailed look at today’s key LMT‑related news (November 29, 2025), how it fits into the broader investment thesis, and what Wall Street and AI-driven models currently expect from the stock.
Quick fundamentals: where LMT stands going into today’s news
Before diving into the daily headlines, it’s useful to anchor on Lockheed Martin’s latest financials and valuation:
- Q3 2025 results (reported Oct. 21, 2025)
- Sales: $18.6 billion, up from $17.1 billion a year earlier (≈9% growth).
- Net earnings: $1.6 billion, or $6.95 per share, slightly above last year’s $6.80.
- Free cash flow: $3.3 billion, up from $2.1 billion in Q3 2024.
- Record backlog: about $179 billion, representing more than two and a half years of sales. [3]
- Dividend and shareholder returns
- Valuation snapshot
- P/E ratio: about 25.5x trailing earnings.
- PEG ratio: ~1.7.
- Beta: ≈0.25, indicating relatively low volatility vs. the broader market. [6]
These numbers frame why analysts and AI models generally see LMT as a defensive, income‑generating blue chip with a long contract backlog—but also one facing margin and program‑execution challenges.
Today’s biggest Lockheed Martin stock headline: German missile‑defense partnerships in focus
One of the most notable LMT‑specific stories dated November 29, 2025 comes from Insider Monkey, highlighting Lockheed Martin’s deepening partnerships in Germany to strengthen integrated air and missile defense (IAMD). [7]
The article ties directly into Lockheed’s November 18 company press release, in which the company and Diehl Defence announced a Memorandum of Understanding to expand IAMD capabilities for partner nations worldwide. The collaboration is aimed at enhancing systems like Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC‑3) missiles and related integrated defense architectures. [8]
Why this matters for investors
- European rearmament tailwind: Russia’s war in Ukraine has driven European NATO states—especially Germany—to prioritize air and missile defense. The Diehl partnership positions LMT as a central hardware plus systems‑integration player in this rearmament cycle, not just a missile supplier. [9]
- Reinforcing PAC‑3 & IAMD franchise: The collaboration builds on earlier October announcements about expanding the PAC‑3 MSE global supply chain with Diehl and major long‑term IAMD agreements with the U.S. Army. [10]
- Narrative boost: Today’s coverage emphasizes that Lockheed is leveraging German partnerships not only for near‑term contracts, but to lock in long‑duration missile‑defense work across Europe and other allied markets—something analysts already cite as a core pillar of the bull case.
For stock watchers, the takeaway is that today’s German‑focused coverage strengthens the “missile‑defense moat” narrative that underpins many long‑term valuation models for LMT.
LMT on today’s “space” and “defense” stock watchlists
Two separate MarketBeat pieces dated November 29, 2025 put Lockheed in the spotlight as both a space and defense name to watch:
- “Space Stocks Worth Watching – November 29th”
- Lists Boeing, GE Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell International and RTX as the five “space stocks” to watch today, based on high recent dollar trading volume in space‑related names. [11]
- The article reminds readers that space‑exposed companies span launch services, satellites, ground systems, infrastructure and defense‑related space technology—areas where Lockheed’s Space segment is deeply involved.
- “Defense Stocks To Research – November 29th”
- Highlights Lockheed Martin alongside Boeing, GE Aerospace, RTX and Northrop Grumman as five defense stocks flagged by its screener on volume and sector interest. [12]
- Emphasizes that defense names tend to offer relative resilience in downturns thanks to government spending, but remain sensitive to budget decisions and geopolitical shocks.
Investor angle
While these watchlist articles aren’t deep fundamental analyses, they do two important things:
- Visibility: Being repeatedly featured as both a space and defense play keeps LMT in front of active traders scanning themed lists.
- Liquidity signal: The screens are triggered partly by high dollar trading volume, signaling that institutions and active funds are engaging heavily with the name around this price level.
Big‑money moves: today’s wave of institutional trading updates in LMT
November 29, 2025 saw an unusually dense cluster of 13F‑based headlines about institutions adjusting their Lockheed positions. Most of these come via MarketBeat’s automated alerts:
Funds increasing or opening positions
- Russell Investments Group Ltd.
- Boosted its stake in LMT by 13.1% in Q2.
- Now owns 91,956 shares worth about $42.6 million. [13]
- Vinva Investment Management Ltd
- Increased its holdings by a striking 725.5%, buying an additional 3,671 shares to own 4,177 shares valued around $1.92 million. [14]
- Virtus Investment Advisers LLC
- Initiated a new position of 2,899 shares, worth approximately $1.34 million. [15]
- XTX Topco Ltd
- Opened a new stake of 3,263 shares valued at roughly $1.51 million. [16]
Funds trimming or exiting
- Quadrature Capital Ltd
- Cut its LMT holdings by 69.5%, selling 35,889 shares and ending Q2 with 15,784 shares worth about $7.3 million. [17]
- Virtue Capital Management LLC
- Reduced its stake by 44%, selling 717 shares to hold 911 shares worth roughly $422,000. [18]
- F m Investments LLC
- Trimmed its position by 16.7%, selling 1,939 shares and ending with 9,678 shares valued around $4.48 million. [19]
Across these alerts, MarketBeat repeatedly notes that around 74% of LMT’s float is held by institutions, and many of the articles recycle the same Q3 beat narrative and valuation stats. [20]
What this means for the stock
- There’s no clear one‑way flow—some funds are adding aggressively, others are taking profits or rebalancing.
- The common thread is that large professional investors are actively managing LMT exposure at current levels, reinforcing the idea that the stock is in a price‑discovery zone after its recent pullback.
For individual investors, the message is less “everyone is buying” and more “institutions consider LMT an important portfolio lever and are actively adjusting positions around ~$458.”
Technical & AI signals: mixed but generally constructive
AI-based short‑term view
Analytics platform Danelfin assigns Lockheed Martin an AI Score of 8/10 (Buy) as of today, estimating about a 64% probability that LMT will beat the S&P 500 over the next three months—roughly 9 percentage points better than the average U.S. stock. [21]
Danelfin also notes:
- 12‑month price range: $410.11 – $529.99
- Dividend yield: about 2.88%
- Market cap: about $105.95 billion. [22]
Analyst consensus & price targets
Across traditional Wall Street coverage:
- MarketBeat tracks 25 analysts with a consensus rating of “Hold” for LMT, with only one outright sell but several holds offsetting buys and strong buys.
- Average 12‑month price target: $515.50
- Range: $425 (low) to $630 (high)
- Implied upside from around $457–458: roughly 12–13%. [23]
- StockAnalysis shows a somewhat more upbeat tone, summarizing 14 analysts with an average rating of “Buy” and an average target near $518.79, about 13% above the latest price. [24]
- A QuiverQuant roundup of recent brokerage notes shows major banks setting targets between $480 and $630—for example:
- Morgan Stanley at $630,
- Susquehanna at $590,
- Bernstein at $545,
- UBS at around $513,
- Truist at $500. [25]
Taken together, today’s picture is: modest upside with a cautious tilt. Analysts generally see LMT as fairly valued to slightly undervalued, but they’re split between “Hold” and various shades of “Buy.”
Short‑term technicals
A separate November 29 article from StockTradersDaily focuses on the Canadian LMT depositary receipt (LMT:CA) and uses AI‑generated signals to rate near‑ and mid‑term technicals as neutral, with a weaker long‑term profile. [26]
That doesn’t directly dictate what U.S. investors should do, but it underscores that momentum in the name is not strongly bullish right now despite the underlying fundamental strength.
Drones, autonomy and the “future of combat” narrative
Several recent and today‑dated stories reinforce Lockheed’s positioning in uncrewed systems and autonomy, themes many investors see as long‑term growth drivers.
Fighter jets commanding drones in flight
On November 19, 2025, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works announced that an F‑22 Raptor pilot successfully controlled an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) from inside the cockpit during a live flight at Nellis Air Force Base. [27]
A follow‑up piece on TechEBlog, dated today, describes how the F‑22 effectively took control of a “loyal wingman” drone in the air—framing it as a first for a fifth‑generation fighter and highlighting Lockheed’s push into human‑machine teaming and AI‑enabled air combat. [28]
For investors, this matters because:
- It validates Lockheed’s R&D spend in autonomy and AI integration.
- It strengthens the company’s position in future “family of systems” concepts, where crewed and uncrewed platforms operate as a network rather than stand‑alone assets.
LMT as a “drone stock”
An Insider Monkey piece published today on “10 Best Drone Stocks to Buy Right Now” explicitly includes Lockheed Martin among its top drone‑related picks. [29]
The article points to:
- Increased spending on unmanned systems in conflicts like Ukraine and the Middle East.
- A structural shift in defense budgets toward UAVs and autonomous platforms compared to legacy manned systems.
Combined with Lockheed’s recent $50 million investment in Saildrone for autonomous maritime systems [30] and announcements about new Nomad™ VTOL drones and autonomous Black Hawk developments, [31] today’s coverage reinforces the idea that LMT is not just a jet and missile manufacturer—it’s a broad autonomy & systems player.
Golden Dome: new space‑based missile‑defense contracts and program risk
The Golden Dome missile defense initiative, a flagship program of the current U.S. administration, is increasingly important for Lockheed’s long‑term story—and today’s broader defense news echoes that.
New Space Force prototype contracts
A Reuters exclusive from November 25—widely referenced in subsequent coverage—reports that the U.S. Space Force has quietly awarded a group of Golden Dome prototype contracts to several companies, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, True Anomaly and Anduril. [32]
Key points:
- The initial awards are relatively small (under $9 million each) and thus didn’t require public disclosure.
- They focus on space‑based interceptors and associated fire‑control systems, a cornerstone of the Golden Dome architecture.
- Winners of these early contracts will compete for future production deals that could be worth tens of billions of dollars over time. [33]
This is good optionality for LMT: even a fraction of that future production could be highly material, especially for its Space and Missile Defense businesses.
But also: delays and uncertainty
Another Reuters deep dive from November 21 paints a more cautious picture: Golden Dome is facing significant delays and planning problems, partly due to a lengthy government shutdown and the absence of a finalized spending plan for the initial $25 billion funding tranche. [34]
The article notes:
- Key contracts risk slipping past internal Pentagon deadlines.
- Contractors are wary of high up‑front development costs for space‑based interceptors, with concerns that a future administration could change course. [35]
For Lockheed Martin, Golden Dome is both a major opportunity and a policy risk. Today’s ongoing discussion around the program reminds investors that defense‑contract timelines and politics can be as important as technology in determining eventual revenue.
Fighter‑jet dominance and geopolitical “lock‑in”
Another November 29 feature, this time from The Times of India, dives into the geopolitical power of the F‑35, which is designed and built by Lockheed Martin. The article describes the F‑35 not just as a fighter jet but as a “geopolitical instrument” and a technological ecosystem that reshapes alliances and gives the U.S. leverage in diplomacy and security partnerships. [36]
Key investor‑relevant themes:
- The F‑35 is framed as the most widely exported fifth‑generation fighter, heavily embedded across Europe, the Indo‑Pacific and the Middle East. [37]
- Because it ties buyers into U.S.-centric training, parts, software, and data networks, it creates a long‑duration, high‑margin support and upgrade stream for Lockheed.
Elsewhere today, Aerospace Global News revisits the story of the F‑22 Raptor export ban, arguing that preventing foreign sales effectively doomed the program and limited production to 187 aircraft—while the export‑friendly F‑35 went on to capture global demand. [38]
The subtext for LMT investors:
- F‑22 teaches the cost of non‑exportable “silver bullet” programs.
- F‑35 shows the power of networked, export‑driven platforms that embed Lockheed into allies’ long‑term force structures.
This context supports long‑run assumptions in many valuation models that F‑35 sustainment and upgrade revenues will remain a core earnings engine for decades.
Profitability concerns: margins still under the microscope
Not all recent coverage is glowing. A late‑November analysis on Seeking Alpha argues that Lockheed Martin’s profitability metrics look weaker than in prior years, noting that margins and return on invested capital have fallen and that net income is significantly below its 2020 peak. [39]
Separately, an earlier Reuters piece from January 2025 highlighted how delays in rolling out F‑35 technology upgrades contributed to a disappointing 2025 profit forecast and an 8% one‑day share price drop at the time. [40]
Coupled with data from sites like Investing.com showing relatively modest recent gross profit margins, [41] these reports underline a key bear‑case argument:
Even with strong revenue growth and backlog, Lockheed Martin must execute flawlessly on high‑profile programs like F‑35 and Golden Dome to maintain or expand margins.
This tension—between huge demand and tight profitability—is one reason the consensus rating today is “Hold” rather than “Strong Buy.”
Is Lockheed Martin stock a buy, hold, or sell after today’s news?
Nothing in this article is personalized investment advice, but we can distill what today’s November 29, 2025 news flow implies for the LMT thesis:
What today’s headlines reinforce
- Strategic missile‑defense positioning
- German partnerships and IAMD coverage highlight LMT’s role at the heart of NATO and allied missile‑defense modernization. [42]
- Optionality in Golden Dome and space
- Reuters reporting on Golden Dome prototype awards shows that Lockheed is already inside the tent on next‑gen space‑based missile defense, even if the dollar amounts are small for now. [43]
- Autonomy & drones as long‑term growth drivers
- The F‑22 loyal‑wingman test and LMT’s inclusion on today’s “best drone stocks” list underscore a credible autonomy and uncrewed systems story. [44]
- Healthy, if mixed, institutional interest
- Multiple funds bought large new stakes or sharply increased positions, while others trimmed holdings or took profits—evidence of active institutional engagement around current prices. [45]
- Income and moderate upside potential
- A near‑3% dividend yield, a long history of dividend growth, and consensus targets implying roughly 12–13% price upside from here give LMT a “steady compounder” profile rather than a high‑flyer image. [46]
What to watch as risks
- Margin pressure and capital intensity on large, complex programs. [47]
- Political and budget risk around Golden Dome and other big‑ticket U.S. and allied defense programs. [48]
- Execution risk in autonomy and AI—areas where Lockheed is innovating aggressively, but where competition (and hype) is increasing.
Bottom line
On November 29, 2025, the mosaic of Lockheed Martin stock news paints a familiar but important picture:
- Strategically critical, deeply embedded in allied defense and space architectures.
- Financially solid, with strong cash flow, a record backlog and a growing dividend.
- Valuation and profitability that look reasonable but not obviously cheap, especially given the execution and policy risks.
For long‑term, defense‑oriented investors, today’s headlines largely reinforce the existing thesis rather than radically changing it: Lockheed Martin remains a core, lower‑beta defense and aerospace holding, with meaningful upside if margins improve and programs like Golden Dome and expanded IAMD collaborations ramp as hoped.
As always, anyone considering an investment should weigh these factors against their own risk tolerance, time horizon and portfolio needs—and consult a qualified financial adviser where appropriate.
References
1. www.angelone.in, 2. simplywall.st, 3. www.prnewswire.com, 4. www.prnewswire.com, 5. danelfin.com, 6. www.marketbeat.com, 7. www.insidermonkey.com, 8. news.lockheedmartin.com, 9. news.lockheedmartin.com, 10. news.lockheedmartin.com, 11. www.marketbeat.com, 12. www.marketbeat.com, 13. www.marketbeat.com, 14. www.marketbeat.com, 15. www.marketbeat.com, 16. www.marketbeat.com, 17. www.marketbeat.com, 18. www.marketbeat.com, 19. www.marketbeat.com, 20. www.marketbeat.com, 21. danelfin.com, 22. danelfin.com, 23. www.marketbeat.com, 24. stockanalysis.com, 25. www.quiverquant.com, 26. news.stocktradersdaily.com, 27. news.lockheedmartin.com, 28. www.techeblog.com, 29. www.insidermonkey.com, 30. news.lockheedmartin.com, 31. news.lockheedmartin.com, 32. www.reuters.com, 33. www.reuters.com, 34. www.reuters.com, 35. www.reuters.com, 36. timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 37. timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 38. aerospaceglobalnews.com, 39. seekingalpha.com, 40. www.reuters.com, 41. www.investing.com, 42. www.insidermonkey.com, 43. www.reuters.com, 44. news.lockheedmartin.com, 45. www.marketbeat.com, 46. www.prnewswire.com, 47. seekingalpha.com, 48. www.reuters.com


