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LMT vs. RKLB: Lockheed Martin vs. Rocket Lab Stock Comparison

How do Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) are both classified in the Aerospace & Defense sub-industry within the broader Aerospace & Defense industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Lockheed Martin (LMT) has more than two decades of public-market history since January 2, 1962, whereas Rocket Lab (RKLB) listed on November 24, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
Profile ItemLMTRKLB
NameLockheed Martin CorporationRocket Lab Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryAerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-IndustryAerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization131.00 billion USD33.93 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962November 24, 2020
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LMT
RKLB
GSPC
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLMTRKLB
Total Return (1Y)31.17%12.96%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)12.79%138.86%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)14.65%31.49%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LMT
RKLB
GSPC
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Rocket Lab (RKLB) has a highly aggressive beta of 3.14, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Lockheed Martin (LMT) is defensive at 0.10 and tends to be less market-sensitive — a wide gap in beta profiles.

Risk profile metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLMTRKLB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)31.09%95.71%
Beta (5Y)0.103.14
Max Drawdown (5Y)-31.79%-78.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.29M19.51M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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LMT and RKLB are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLMTRKLB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.860.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.380.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative ROE of -7.92%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Lockheed Martin (LMT) reports 80.19%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

80.19%

LMT
80.19%
Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-7.92%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
RKLB
-7.92%
Min
-17.12%
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative net margin of -21.51%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Lockheed Martin (LMT) reports 8.23%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

8.23%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
LMT
8.23%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-21.51%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
RKLB
-21.51%
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative operating margin of -24.57%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Lockheed Martin (LMT) reports 11.41%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

11.41%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
LMT
11.41%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

-24.57%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
RKLB
-24.57%
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLMTRKLB
ROE (TTM)80.19%-7.92%
ROA (TTM)8.58%-4.62%
Net Margin (TTM)8.23%-21.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.41%-24.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)11.73%37.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 5.64% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RKLB.

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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Lockheed Martin (LMT) reports EPS growth of -3.68%, ranked against its industry; Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLMTRKLB
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.64%37.96%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.38%41.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)-3.68%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-0.26%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 1.26 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

1.26

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
LMT
1.26
Min
0.36

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

5.48

RKLB
5.48
Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 0.04 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 2.04 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

2.04

Max
2.33
LMT
2.04
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.04

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
RKLB
0.04
Min
0.00
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLMTRKLB
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.265.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.040.04
Net Debt / EBITDA1.47--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Lockheed Martin (LMT) reports a yield of 2.40%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

2.40%

Max
2.66%
LMT
2.40%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
RKLB
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Rocket Lab (RKLB) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Lockheed Martin (LMT) reports a payout of 49.01%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

49.01%

Max
67.39%
LMT
49.01%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
RKLB
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLMTRKLB
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.40%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)49.01%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Lockheed Martin (LMT) trades at 20.14 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

20.14

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
LMT
20.14
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

--

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
RKLB
--
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): RKLB does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; LMT is benchmarked against the Capital Goods industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 1.66 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 clears its benchmark range — RKLB looks notably rich on sales.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

1.66

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
LMT
1.66
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

44.12

RKLB
44.12
Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Lockheed Martin (LMT) at 12.96 prices even higher, above its industry range.

LMT

Capital Goods industry group

12.96

LMT
12.96
Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08

RKLB

Capital Goods industry group

9.09

Max
9.66
RKLB
9.09
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Rocket Lab (RKLB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB)
MetricLMTRKLB
P/E Ratio (TTM)20.14--
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.6644.12
P/B Ratio (MRQ)12.969.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)4.31%-0.74%