Forget AI Stocks: This Defense Giant Has Raised Its Dividend Each of the Last 10 Years and Currently Pays a 2.75% Yield

With the artificial intelligence (AI) trade captivating investors' hearts and minds (and their dollars), it's not surprising that some market participants may be overallocated to that theme. These days, it's an understatement to say tech stocks are prominent.

Just look at the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC). A once-diverse collection of large-cap U.S. companies, the index is heavily weighted toward AI and tech. Each of its top 10 holdings, which account for more than 34% of the index's weight, touches AI in some form.

Most of those are low-yielding stocks, and some don't even pay dividends. So investors seeking the benefits of sector diversification and equity income should augment their tech holdings with some different "flavors," one of which is Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT).

Image source: Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin may be an inviting entry point

As things stand today, Lockheed Martin is arguably a good-news/bad-news stock. In an effort to finish on an upbeat note, let's dispense with the bad news.

Investors expecting this aerospace stock to benefit from the war in Iran are disappointed. Over the past 90 days, the stock has fallen 15.7% and is 27% below its 52-week high, putting it in bear-market territory.

Those are ominous statistics, but there are bright sides to the story. For example, the company has a $194 billion backlog, confirming it remains one of Uncle Sam's go-to large-scale defense contractors. That's valuable at a time when the White House is seeking $1.5 trillion in fiscal 2027 defense spending, roughly half of which will be allocated to weapons modernization and procurement, areas of Lockheed's expertise.

Adding to the case for this industrial stock, particularly for long-term investors, is the dividend. Lockheed yields 2.7%, or more than double the dividend yields of the S&P 500 and the largest industrial exchange-traded fund (ETF). The defense giant is committed to that payout, as evidenced by the fact that the dividend hike unveiled last October marked the 23rd consecutive year the dividend was increased.

Investors may find comfort in knowing that the industrial sector's shareholder yield, a combination of buybacks and dividends, is above that of the S&P 500 and the technology sector.

Lockheed has some tech inroads

To be sure, Lockheed Martin isn't a tech stock, but it does have some exposure to tech themes that resonate with investors. Included in the Pentagon's budget is $66 billion for overall tech spending and $13.4 billion for AI, marking the first time the department is breaking out dedicated AI expenditures.

Much of that spending is slated for autonomous systems, an area of focus for Lockheed. The company's ability to integrate autonomous systems across a variety of frontiers, including air, cyber, land, and sea, makes it a valuable long-term provider to the U.S. government.

While Lockheed isn't a tech company in the traditional sense, tech is very much a part of the long-term growth story. So investors are getting a stock with the potential to benefit from tech and one committed to dividend growth. That may just be a win-win.

Todd Shriber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Lockheed Martin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.