In the latest trading session, Lockheed Martin (LMT) closed at $448.64, marking a +0.43% move from the previous day. The stock's performance was ahead of the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.38%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.03%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.87%.

The the stock of aerospace and defense company has fallen by 1.16% in the past month, lagging the Aerospace sector's gain of 0.19% and overreaching the S&P 500's loss of 5.59%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Lockheed Martin in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company is predicted to post an EPS of $6.44, indicating a 1.74% growth compared to the equivalent quarter last year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $17.74 billion, indicating a 3.19% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

LMT's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $27.26 per share and revenue of $74.27 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of -4.25% and +4.55%, respectively.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Lockheed Martin should also be noted by investors. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.83% downward. Lockheed Martin is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

In terms of valuation, Lockheed Martin is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 16.39. This indicates a discount in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 20.22.

Investors should also note that LMT has a PEG ratio of 1.55 right now. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Aerospace - Defense industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.86 as of yesterday's close.

The Aerospace - Defense industry is part of the Aerospace sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 152, which puts it in the bottom 39% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions.

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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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