BofA downgrades Lockheed Martin, slashes price target by 30% after it lost Air Force deal
The Air Force’s decision to pick Boeing over Lockheed Martin for its next program of jets caps a rough month for the defense giant that has Bank of America analysts led by Ronald Epstein borrowing a line from “Office Space”: what would you say you do here?
“Given recent US geopolitical re-posturing (tariffs, reducing support for NATO and sovereignty threats targeted at Canada and Greenland), the F-35 international partners are naturally concerned about their reliance on the program and rethinking their commitments,” he wrote. “This begs the question as to what LMT’s future is as a Prime Contractor in a 6th gen fighter world if they are not leading the development of any of the manned 6th gen program.”
The stock cratered after this decision, which was announced on Friday.
Epstein downgraded the company to “neutral” from “buy” and cut his price target by almost 30% to $485. Shares are currently trading around $434.
The analyst said he, and most of the industry, expected Lockheed Martin to win this deal.