Top 5 Defense Companies To Buy Right Now

Top 5 Defense Companies To Buy Right Now: Lockheed Martin Corporation(LMT)

Lockheed Martin Corporation engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, operation, and sustainment of advanced technology systems and products in the areas of defense, space, intelligence, homeland security, and government information technology in the United States and internationally. It also provides management, engineering, technical, scientific, logistic, and information services. The company operates in four segments: Aeronautics, Electronic Systems, Information Systems & Global Services (IS&GS), and Space Systems. The Aeronautics segment offers military aircraft, including combat and air mobility aircraft, unmanned air vehicles, and related technologies. Its products and programs comprise the F-35 multi-role, stealth fighter; the F-22 air dominance and multi-mission stealth fighter; the F-16 multi-role fighter; the C-130J tactical transport aircraft; and the C-5M strategic airlifter modernization program; and support for the P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, and the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The Electronic Systems segment provides air and missile defense; tactical missiles; weapon fire control systems; surface ship and submarine combat systems; anti-submarine and undersea warfare systems; land, sea-based, and airborne radars; surveillance and reconnaissance systems; simulation and training systems; and integrated logistics and sustainment services. The IS&GS segment offers information technology solutions and advanced technology primarily in the areas of software and systems integration for space, air, and ground systems to various defense and civil government agencies. The Space Systems segment provides government and commercial satellites; strategic and defensive missile systems, including missile defense technologies and systems, and fleet ballistic missiles; and space transportation systems. Lockheed Martin Corporation was founded in 1909 and is based in Bethesda, M! aryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Stallard sees KEYW Holding (KEYW) and Textron (TXT) potentially missing earnings, while Honeywell (HON), Alliant Techsystems (ATK),Lockheed Martin (LMT),Raytheon (RTN) andWesco Aircraft (WAIR) could beat.

• [By DAILYFINANCE]

  AP Photo/John Amis Lockheed Martin (LMT) will furlough 3,000 employees on Monday and potentially more in coming weeks due to the government shutdown. The defense contractor said Friday that the furloughs will affect its business nationwide and it is working closely with customers to assess the impact. It said the number of employees put on furlough will increase weekly if the shutdown continues, but did not specify how high the count could rise. "I'm disappointed that we must take these actions and we continue to encourage our lawmakers to come together to pass a funding bill that will end this shutdown," Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed's CEO and president, said in a statement. "We hope that Congress and the Administration are able to resolve this situation as soon as possible." Lockheed says the furloughs include employees who are unable to work because the government facility where they perform their work is closed, as well as those whose work requires a government inspection that cannot be completed or for which the company has received a stop work order. This announcement comes just days after United Technologies Corp. (UTX) said that it will furlough 2,000 employees by Monday and more than 5,000 if the shutdown continues into next month. The company, which makes Blackhawk helicopters and other products, says it will halt some manufacturing because government inspectors have been furloughed and they are necessary for federal approval to make military products. The partial government shutdown took effect Tuesday and has idled roughly 800,000 "non-essential" federal workers. Lockheed Martin Corp. shares fell 46 cents to $122.37 in afternoon trading Friday. Its shares are st! ill near ! the higher end of their 52-week range of $85.88 to $131.60.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Still, what this leaves us with here is a stock costing perhaps 12.5 times what it might earn this year -- a higher valuation than rivals L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL  ) or Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT  ) fetch, even if a discount to General Dynamics. Meanwhile, Textron's free cash flow projection suggests that the quality of its earnings (perhaps $540 million in total, judging from the guidance) may not be even as good as those of its cheaper rivals.

• [By Blake Bos]

  In the following video, Fool consumer-goods/industrials analyst Blake Bos breaks down Aviation Week's top aerospace and defense picks by annual revenue. His discussion includes Cubic (NYSE: CUB  ) , Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK  ) , Exelis (NYSE: XLS  ) , Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) , and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT  ) .

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-defense-companies-to-buy-right-now-3.html