Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT - Free Report) reported fourth-quarter 2017 adjusted earnings from continuing operations of $4.30 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.06 by 5.9%.

Excluding one-time impacts of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the company reported a loss of $2.50 per share as against the earnings of $3.25 from the year-ago period.

Lockheed Martin Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Lockheed Martin Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Lockheed Martin Corporation Quote

For 2017, the company generated adjusted earnings of $13.33 per share topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $13.13.

Operational Highlights

In the reported quarter, total revenues came in at $15.14 billion, which exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $14.75 billion by 2.6%.

Moreover, the company’s revenues increased 10.1% from $13.75 billion a year ago. Notably, all segments registered year-over-year growth in sales, except Space Systems.

For 2017, the company generated revenues of $51.05 billion, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $50.63 billion. The annual revenues registered year-over-year growth of 8%.

Backlog

Pentagon’s prime defense contractor, Lockheed Martin ended 2017 (on Dec 31, 2017) with $99.9 billion in backlog, up 3.9% from $96.2 billion at the end of 2016. Of this, the Aeronautics segment accounted for $35.8 billion while Rotary and Mission Systems contributed $29 billion. Also, $17.3 billion came from Space Systems and $17.8 billion from Missiles and Fire Control.

Segmental Performance

Aeronautics: Sales increased 12% year over year to $6 billion, primarily driven by higher net sales from the F-35 program on account of increased production volume. Higher net sales from the C-130 program backed by increased aircraft delivery also boosted the segment’s top line.

Operating profit advanced 20% year over year to $661 million, while operating margin expanded 70 bps to 10.9%.

Missiles and Fire Control: Quarterly sales rose 31% year over year to $2.3 billion due to higher net sales from air and missile defense programs on account of increased deliveries.

Operating profit improved 16% year over year to $296 million, while operating margin contracted 160 bps to 12.9%.

Rotary and Mission Systems: Quarterly sales of $4.4 billion grew 14% on account of higher sales for Sikorsky helicopter programs primarily due to aircraft mix and increased deliveries.

Operating profit improved 31% year over year to $299 million and operating margin expanded 90 bps to 6.9%.

Space Systems: Sales dropped 12% year over year to about $2.4 billion in the fourth quarter, primarily owing to a reduction in launch-related events.

Operating profit declined 9% to $231 million while operating margin expanded a mere 20 bps to 9.4% in the quarter.

Financial Condition

Cash and cash equivalents were $2.86 billion as of Dec 31, 2017, compared with $1.84 billion as of Dec 31, 2016. Long-term debt was $13.51 billion, compared with $14.28 billion as of Dec 31, 2016.

Cash from operations at the end of 2017 was $6.5 billion compared with $5.2 billion at the end of 2016.

During 2017, the company repurchased 7.1 million shares for $2 million compared with the buyback of 8.9 million shares for $2.1 billion a year ago. The company paid dividends worth $2.2 billion to shareholders in 2017 compared with the year-ago period figure of $2 billion.

Guidance

Lockheed Martin issued 2018 financial guidance. The company expects to generate revenues in the range of $50.0-$51.5 billion.

On the bottom-line front, the company expects GAAP earnings per share to be in the range of $15.20-$15.50 during 2018.

Zacks Rank

Lockheed Martin currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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