Last week was a rough one for many investors, with the S&P 500 surrendering 2% through Thursday's close -- but Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) went a different route.

America's biggest defense stock by market cap, Lockheed stock went on offense this week, gaining 10% through Thursday's close after reporting a powerful passel of earnings numbers Tuesday.

Just how good was Lockheed Martin's quarter? Sales surged 9% year over year to $18.1 billion. Earnings inched 3% higher despite the headwind of $0.26 per share in one-time charges. Best of all for Lockheed and its investors, free cash flow at the defense giant literally doubled, from $771 million a year ago to $1.5 billion in Q2 2024.

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Source Fool.com