Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) - What Are Investment Firms Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts hold a Moderate Buy consensus on Northrop Grumman, with 14 buy ratings, nine holds, one sell and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $641.91, though several firms recently cut targets, including Barclays initiating an underweight rating with a $419 target.
• Northrop Grumman shares opened at $519.98, up 4.1%, with a market capitalization of approximately $73.85 billion. The stock trades at a P/E ratio of 16.52 and remains below its 12-month high of $774.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $7.68 EPS versus the $6.82 consensus and $10.88 billion in revenue. It also declared a $2.47 quarterly dividend, equal to a $9.88 annualized payout and a 1.9% yield.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $641.91.

NOC has been the subject of several recent research reports. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $590.00 to $540.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, October 8th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $419.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $500.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $785.00 to $655.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 4.1%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $519.98 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $525.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $553.31. Northrop Grumman has a 12-month low of $470.06 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of -0.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $10.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 10.48%. Northrop Grumman's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.15 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman will post 28.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.39%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the sale, the director owned 4,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,405,299.29. This trade represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 380.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Phillip James Consulting Co. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

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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