((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto))
April 15 – **Shares of U.S. defense companies rise premarket on growing geopolitical risks from the Middle East conflict after a retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel over the weekend
** Lockheed Martin LMT.N, RTX Corp RTX.N and General Dynamics GD.N up 1.8% to 4.2%
** Brokerage JPMorgan upgrades LMT from ‘neutral’ to ‘overweight’
** JPM expects that additional defense financing for Ukraine, Israel and/or Taiwan could create market dynamics for defense stocks, which would benefit LMT, the flagship company
** Meanwhile, Barclays raised its estimate of General Dynamics’ value from $285 to $310
** Over the past 6 months, the S&P 500 Aerospace & Defense Index .SPLRCAERO has jumped 17.3%
** Meanwhile, European defense stocks BAE Systems BAES.L and Thales SA TCFP.PA gain 1.8% and 1.4% respectively, while Rheinmetall AG RHMG.DE climbs 1.7%