Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $545.31.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Argus raised Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NOC. Modern Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 97.0% in the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 853 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $437,000 after buying an additional 420 shares during the period. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter valued at about $218,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter worth about $17,371,000. Intrua Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 8.3% in the first quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 640 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 952.2% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 67,101 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $34,350,000 after purchasing an additional 60,724 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock traded down $3.53 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $487.76. 634,273 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,088,015. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $70.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. Northrop Grumman has a 1 year low of $418.60 and a 1 year high of $555.57. The stock's fifty day moving average is $492.00 and its 200 day moving average is $482.47.

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

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is currently 36.46%.

About Northrop Grumman

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.