Lockheed Martin Among Capital Goods' Biggest Movers on October 24, 2012

Currently, the Nasdaq has remained steady, the S&P 500 has moved up 0.1% and the Dow has risen 0.3%. The capital goods sector is the category of stocks related to the manufacture or distribution of goods. The sector is diverse, containing companies that manufacture machinery used to create capital goods, electrical equipment, aerospace and defense, engineering and construction projects. It is also referred to as the "industrials sector". Performance in the capital goods sector is sensitive to fluctuations in the business cycle. Because it relies heavily on manufacturing, the sector does well when the economy is booming or expanding. As economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods drops off, usually lowering the prices of stocks in the sector.

The biggest movers in the Capital Goods sector (XLI) (+0.1%) are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Fortune Brands Home & Security (NYSE:FBHS)	$4.33 billion	+9.7%
Kennametal (NYSE:KMT)	$2.94 billion	-6.4%
Tennant (NYSE:TNC)	$712.2 million	-4.1%
BE Aerospace (Nasdaq:BEAV)	$4.61 billion	+3.2%
General Dynamics (NYSE:GD)	$23.36 billion	+3%
Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)	$29.83 billion	+2.9%
Gardner Denver (NYSE:GDI)	$2.76 billion	-2.4%

Broker Summary: Fidelity Online Brokerage

Fortune Brands Home & Security (NYSE:FBHS) has risen 9.7% and is currently trading at $29.59 per share. The company's volume is currently 2.7 million shares for the day, two times the current daily average.

Kennametal (NYSE:KMT) is currently trading at a share price of $34.53, a 6.4% decline. The company is currently trading a volume of 3.4 million shares.

Falling 4.1%, Tennant (NYSE:TNC) is currently at a share price of $36.70. The company's volume is currently 141,703 shares for the day, two times the current three-month average.

BE Aerospace (Nasdaq:BEAV) has risen 3.2% to hit a current price of $45.71 per share. The company's volume for the day so far is 625,614 shares. This is on pace to fall short of yesterday's volume of two million shares.

General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) is up 3% to reach a current price of $68.17 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 1.1 million shares, 0.9 times its current daily average.

After rising 2.9%, Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) is currently trading at a share price of $94.65. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 803,438 shares.

At $55.06, Gardner Denver (NYSE:GDI) has slipped 2.4%. The company's volume for the day so far is 175,999 shares, consistent with its current three-month average.

The Bottom Line On any given day, a particular stock may see positive or negative change in its share price. It is important to weigh current activity against historical performance when making any investment decisions. Tools like valuation ratios and profit margins, however, are only as useful as the context you put them in; remember to take historical data and competitor performance into account.