Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Receives $545.31 Consensus PT from Analysts

Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $545.31.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC stock traded down $13.55 during trading on Friday, hitting $457.12. 1,270,428 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,116,664. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. Northrop Grumman has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $498.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $486.49.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.07 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. As a group, research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.52%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares of the company's stock, valued at $304,217.72. This trade represents a 21.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,632. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NOC. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 15.1% during the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $752,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 17,683 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $9,053,000 after buying an additional 1,307 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 1,757 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $900,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. RPG Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 100.0% during the first quarter. RPG Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,958 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,515,000 after acquiring an additional 1,479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 12.5% during the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,095 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $560,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company's Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.