RTX (RTX) Stock Surges 7% as U.S. and Israel Strike Iran – Here’s Why

TLDR

• RTX jumped ~6.6% in premarket Monday to $215.80 after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend.
• Lockheed Martin rose 6.9% and Northrop Grumman gained 5.8% in premarket, with defense ETF ITA also trading higher.
• Brent crude surged nearly 10% as markets shifted to a risk-off stance, boosting energy and defense names.
• RTX beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $1.55 vs. $1.47, with revenue up 12.1% year-over-year to $24.24 billion.
• RTX set FY2026 EPS guidance of $6.60–$6.80, well above analyst consensus of ~$6.11.

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RTX Corp jumped 6.6% in premarket trading Monday, reaching $215.80, after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran over the weekend.

RTX Corporation, RTX

The move came as broader U.S. stock futures fell more than 1%, with investors bracing for an extended conflict and rising energy costs.

Israel announced it had carried out a “pre-emptive” strike against Iran on Saturday. U.S. forces also participated in the attacks, with President Trump citing goals of regime change and eliminating Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Iran responded by firing missiles at U.S. bases and Israeli positions.

RTX closed Friday’s regular session at $202.62, up 2.52% on the day before the weekend escalation.

Defense names were among the few bright spots in a broadly lower market. Lockheed Martin climbed 6.9% in premarket, Northrop Grumman rose 5.8%, and the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) also traded higher.

Brent crude surged nearly 10% at one point overnight. Gold rose, and the U.S. dollar strengthened — the kind of move traders typically read as risk-off.

Strong Fundamentals Backing the Move

Monday’s jump builds on a stock that was already performing well heading into the news.

RTX posted Q4 EPS of $1.55, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47. Revenue came in at $24.24 billion, up 12.1% year-over-year and well above the $22.65 billion analyst estimate.

The company set FY2026 EPS guidance of $6.60–$6.80, compared to the analyst consensus of around $6.11.

RTX also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.68 per share, annualizing to $2.72, for a yield of about 1.3%.

Since a U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025, the ITA defense ETF has risen 35%. Northrop Grumman is up 46% over that stretch, and Lockheed Martin has gained 40%.

Analyst Ratings and Institutional Activity

Most analysts remain constructive on RTX. Morgan Stanley has an “overweight” rating with a $235 price target. JPMorgan Chase raised its target from $200 to $215, also rating it “overweight.” The consensus sits at “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $199.50.

Institutional investors hold roughly 86.5% of RTX stock. Bahl & Gaynor trimmed its position by 3.5% in Q3, ending the quarter with 838,365 shares valued at $140.28 million.

On the insider side, EVP Dantaya M. Williams sold 12,713 shares on February 23rd at $202.83 each. EVP Neil G. Mitchill Jr. sold 35,755 shares on February 19th at $205.56. Total insider sales over the past three months reached approximately $18.15 million.

RTX also recently won a DARPA XENA contract through BBN Technologies for long-range X-ray situational awareness, and secured an optics supply deal with the German Armed Forces through Raytheon ELCAN.

RTX has a 12-month high of $206.73 and a market cap of $271.68 billion as of Friday’s close.

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