RBC Capital Reiterates Outperform Following Lockheed Martin's (LMT) 4Q and Announced Leidos Combination

S&P Places Leidos (LDOS) on Watch for Possible Downgrade (LMT)

January 26, 2016 4:57 PM EST

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today that it has placed all of its ratings on Leidos Holdings Inc., including our 'BBB-' corporate credit rating, on CreditWatch with negative implications.

"The CreditWatch placement reflects the significant amount of debt that Leidos will incur to fund special payments to its shareholders in... More

Notable Mergers and Acquisitions 1/26: (CHFC)/(TLMR) (HBAN)/(FMER) (LMT)/(LDOS)

January 26, 2016 9:52 AM EST

*** The boards of directors of Chemical Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CHFC), the holding company for Chemical Bank, and Talmer Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: TLMR), the holding company for Talmer Bank and Trust, today announced the execution of a definitive agreement for Chemical Financial Corporation ("Chemical") to partner with Talmer Bancorp, Inc. ("Talmer") in a cash and common stock merger transaction valued at approximately $1.1 billion.

The merger will result in the creation of one of the largest community banks in the Midwest. Based on the companies balance sheets as of December 31, 2015,... More

Lockheed seals services deal with Leidos, forecasts profit below view

January 26, 2016 8:28 AM EST

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE: LMT) on Tuesday announced a $5 billion tax-free deal to combine its information systems and government services business with Leidos Holdings Inc (NYSE: LDOS), and forecast a lower-than-expected profit in 2016.

Lockheed's shares fell as much as 5 percent amid confusion over future prospects for the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier, although the stock recovered after Lockheed officials reassured analysts they still expected rising sales and earnings in coming years.

Leidos shares dropped as much as 9 percent and were off 7.6 percent at $49.56 in... More

Lockheed Martin (LMT) Tops Q4 EPS by 7c; Offers FY16 Outlook

January 26, 2016 7:05 AM EST

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) reported Q4 EPS of $3.01, $0.07 better than the analyst estimate of $2.94. Revenue for the quarter came in at $12.9 billion versus the consensus estimate of $12.36 billion.

GUIDANCE:

Lockheed Martin sees FY2016 EPS of $11.45-$11.75. Lockheed Martin sees FY2016... More

Lockheed Martin (LMT) Will Separate, Combine IS&GS Unit with Leidos (LDOS)

January 26, 2016 7:04 AM EST

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has entered into a definitive agreement to separate and combine its realigned Information Systems & Global Solutions (IS&GS) business segment with Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LDOS) in a tax-efficient Reverse Morris Trust transaction, unlocking $5 billion in estimated enterprise value for Lockheed Martin stockholders.

"This strategic transaction is an important milestone in the portfolio reshaping strategy we announced in July 2015 and allows us to focus on our core business in aerospace and defense," said Lockheed Martin Chairman,... More

Pentagon chief to preview fiscal 2017 budget on Feb. 2: sources

January 25, 2016 7:49 PM EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is scheduled to preview the Pentagon's fiscal 2017 budget request in a speech on Feb. 2, a week before the White House sends its budget plans to Congress, two U.S. defense officials said on Monday.

Carter is expected to highlight the broad themes of the Pentagon's budget request and its priorities,... More

Trading Radar for 1/26: Apple (AAPL), AT&T (T), J&J (JNJ), Procter & Gamble (PG), Capital One (COF) Report

January 25, 2016 2:14 PM EST

The Trading Radar highlights key earnings and economic announcements for the next trading session:

Before Markets Open:
Economics:
9:00am EST

Case-Shiller 20-City Index - Street sees 5.8%FHFA Housing Market Index - no Street consensus

Earnings:

3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) - consensus EPS $1.63
AK Steel (NYSE: AKS) - consensus EPS $0.01
AVX Corp. (NYSE: AVX) - consensus EPS $0.17
Allegheny Technologies (NYSE: ATI) - consensus loss $0.48
Alliance... More