Leidos downgraded by J.P. Morgan as defense stocks face rocky earnings season

[two soldiers in action] StudioThreeDots/iStock via Getty Images J.P. Morgan Chase sees a challenging third-quarter earnings season for aerospace and defense companies as slowing airline traffic growth, uncertainty over U.S. military spending and lingering supply-chain constraints weigh on investor sentiment. In an Oct. 8 research report, Seth M. Seifman, J.P. Morgan's lead aerospace and defense analyst, said most companies should deliver solid quarterly results and express confidence in underlying demand. However, encouraging earnings may not be enough to reverse the sector's recent stock-market weakness. "The market is near an all-time high but A&D stocks were weak in Q3 and sentiment is sour," Seifman wrote.