{"id":73421,"date":"2026-10-22T06:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T10:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/lockheed-martin-secures-massive-f-35-deal-as-tech-giants-meta-and-tesla-reveal-strategic-shifts\/73421\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T06:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T10:38:13","slug":"lockheed-martin-secures-massive-f-35-deal-as-tech-giants-meta-and-tesla-reveal-strategic-shifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/lockheed-martin-secures-massive-f-35-deal-as-tech-giants-meta-and-tesla-reveal-strategic-shifts\/73421\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockheed Martin Secures Massive F-35 Deal as Tech Giants Meta and Tesla Reveal Strategic Shifts"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lockheed Martin (<a href=\"\/stock\/LMT\">LMT<\/a>)<\/strong> finalized a landmark 10-year deal with the Pentagon for a minimum of <strong>850 F-35 jets<\/strong>, driving its backlog to a massive <strong>$291.98 billion<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Meta Platforms (<a href=\"\/stock\/META\">META<\/a>)<\/strong> disclosed staggering capital commitments of <strong>$167.26 billion<\/strong> through 2027 for cloud capacity and infrastructure, even as its headcount dropped <strong>15% year-over-year<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tesla (<a href=\"\/stock\/TSLA\">TSLA<\/a>)<\/strong> has officially formed a committee to explore a deeper relationship with <strong>SpaceX<\/strong>, including a potential combination of the two Elon Musk-led entities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spotify (<a href=\"\/stock\/SPOT\">SPOT<\/a>)<\/strong> reported a surge in premium subscribers to <strong>306 million<\/strong>, though its earnings per share of <strong>\u20ac2.48<\/strong> fell year-over-year.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Honeywell (<a href=\"\/stock\/HON\">HON<\/a>)<\/strong> raised its full-year organic sales and free cash flow guidance following a steady third quarter led by building automation growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Defense Sector Dominance: Lockheed Martin\u2019s $292B Backlog<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Lockheed Martin (<a href=\"\/stock\/LMT\">LMT<\/a>)<\/strong> delivered a robust third-quarter earnings beat, reporting <strong>EPS of $7.97<\/strong> on net sales of <strong>$20.7 billion<\/strong>, both exceeding analyst estimates. The primary catalyst for the defense giant is a newly finalized 10-year agreement with the U.S. Pentagon, guaranteeing the production of at least <strong>850 F-35 aircraft<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s backlog has ballooned to <strong>$291.98 billion<\/strong>, significantly higher than the <strong>$231.53 billion<\/strong> anticipated by Wall Street. As part of the pact, <strong>Lockheed Martin (<a href=\"\/stock\/LMT\">LMT<\/a>)<\/strong> will self-fund at least <strong>$7 billion<\/strong> in F-35 initiatives. The company raised its full-year guidance, now expecting <strong>EPS between $30.35 and $30.75<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Meta\u2019s Infrastructure Bet and Tesla\u2019s SpaceX Ambitions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Meta Platforms (<a href=\"\/stock\/META\">META<\/a>)<\/strong> revealed the massive scale of its investment in the future, reporting commitments of <strong>$45.85 billion for 2026<\/strong> and <strong>$121.41 billion for 2027<\/strong>. These funds are earmarked for <strong>cloud capacity, infrastructure, and Reality Labs<\/strong>, signaling a relentless pursuit of AI and metaverse dominance. Despite these heavy outlays, the company continues to lean out its workforce, with headcount falling to <strong>66,775<\/strong>, a <strong>15% decrease<\/strong> from the previous year.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <strong>Tesla (<a href=\"\/stock\/TSLA\">TSLA<\/a>)<\/strong> confirmed it has formed a special committee to explore &quot;deepening&quot; its relationship with <strong>SpaceX<\/strong>. The move includes exploring arrangements that could lead to a <strong>combination of the two companies<\/strong>, a development that could fundamentally reshape the valuation and scope of the electric vehicle leader.<\/p>\n<h2>Mixed Results for Spotify and Industrial Giants<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Spotify (<a href=\"\/stock\/SPOT\">SPOT<\/a>)<\/strong> saw its premium subscriber base grow to <strong>306 million<\/strong>, beating estimates of <strong>305.15 million<\/strong>. While revenue of <strong>\u20ac4.97 billion<\/strong> was slightly below expectations, the company\u2019s <strong>gross margin of 33%<\/strong> and optimistic Q4 guidance\u2014projecting <strong>818 million monthly active users<\/strong>\u2014suggest strong momentum in its monetization efforts.<\/p>\n<p>In the industrial sector, <strong>Honeywell (<a href=\"\/stock\/HON\">HON<\/a>)<\/strong> reported a <strong>1.3% increase<\/strong> in sales to <strong>$4.99 billion<\/strong>. The company is seeing particular strength in <strong>Building Automation<\/strong>, which grew <strong>7.6%<\/strong>. Consequently, management raised its full-year organic sales growth outlook to a range of <strong>4% to 5%<\/strong>. Conversely, <strong>PG&amp;E (<a href=\"\/stock\/PCG\">PCG<\/a>)<\/strong> missed revenue estimates, reporting <strong>$6.19 billion<\/strong> against an expected <strong>$6.91 billion<\/strong>, though it managed to meet adjusted core EPS targets of <strong>41 cents<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Lockheed Martin (LMT) finalized a landmark 10-year deal with the Pentagon for a minimum of 850 F-35 jets, 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