Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Upgraded to "Strong-Buy" at Rothschild & Co Redburn

Key Points

• Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded Northrop Grumman to “strong buy.” The stock has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average analyst price target of $649.05.
• Other analysts remain generally bullish, with Guggenheim, Citigroup, UBS Group and Wells Fargo issuing or maintaining buy-equivalent ratings and price targets ranging from $612 to $704.
• Northrop Grumman recently exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $7.68 in EPS versus the $6.82 consensus and $10.88 billion in revenue, up 5.1% year over year.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Rothschild & Co Redburn to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on NOC. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, September 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $612.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $617.00 to $667.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $704.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $620.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $649.05.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC opened at $483.27 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of -0.11. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $534.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $563.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Northrop Grumman has a 12-month low of $470.06 and a 12-month high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 10.48%.The company had revenue of $10.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $8.15 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman will post 28.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,405,299.29. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. South Plains Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 896 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $511,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Tobias Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Tobias Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 379 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Apriem Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Apriem Advisors now owns 1,445 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $824,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 839 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $573,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 1,082 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $738,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation NYSE: NOC is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and produces systems for government and commercial customers, with the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies representing its primary markets. Its work spans advanced aircraft, autonomous systems, space systems, missile defense, command and control, cybersecurity, and other mission-critical technologies.

The company's offerings include strategic and tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft systems, satellites, spacecraft, launch vehicles, missile-warning and missile-defense systems, secure communications, and cyber and information systems.

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