When the closing bell approaches and CNBC's "Halftime Report" wraps up, market veterans share their final trade ideas—the stocks they're watching most closely as the session ends. Monday brought an interesting mix: a defense contractor riding geopolitical tailwinds, a distribution play making aggressive capital moves, and a healthcare giant poised for strong earnings growth.

Defense Gets a Boost

Jim Lebenthal, partner at Cerity Partners, picked Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) as his final trade. The timing made sense—defense stocks jumped Monday after the United States seized former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife during a weekend operation. Lockheed shares climbed 2.9% to close at $511.57, and investors have another catalyst on the horizon: the company reports fourth-quarter earnings before the market opens on January 29.

Apollo Backs a Big Bet

Stephen Weiss, chief investment officer and managing partner of Short Hills Capital Partners, went with QXO, Inc. (QXO). The stock absolutely ripped higher—up 18.2% to settle at $23.30—after announcing a $1.2 billion convertible offering funded by Apollo. That's the kind of institutional backing that gets traders' attention, and the market clearly approved.

Healthcare Play With Momentum

Joe Terranova, senior managing director for Virtus Investment Partners, selected McKesson Corporation (MCK) as his final trade. The healthcare distribution giant has Wall Street support: Barclays analyst Glen Santangelo initiated coverage on December 9 with an Overweight rating and a $960 price target.

McKesson is scheduled to release its third quarter fiscal 2026 financial results after the closing bell on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. Analysts are expecting quarterly earnings of $9.28 per share, up from $8.03 per share in the year-ago period. Revenue projections sit at $105.98 billion compared to $95.29 billion a year earlier. The stock edged up 0.2% to close at $824.92 during Monday's session.

Price Action:

• Lockheed Martin shares rose 2.9% to close at $511.57 on Monday.
• QXO shares jumped 18.2% to settle at $23.30 during the session.
• McKesson gained 0.2% to close at $824.92 during the session.