Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Northrop Grumman Corporation received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from 17 research firms, with an average price target of $588.85.
• The company reported $7.11 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations and indicating a 1.3% revenue increase year-over-year.
• Northrop Grumman announced a quarterly dividend of $2.31, representing a yield of 1.6%, with a total annualized payout of $9.24.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $588.8462.

A number of analysts have commented on NOC shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Northrop Grumman from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:NOC traded down $1.40 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $574.56. 798,025 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 958,455. The business's 50-day moving average price is $567.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $518.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.18, a P/E/G ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 0.13. Northrop Grumman has a 1 year low of $426.24 and a 1 year high of $600.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.84 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $10.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.15 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.52% and a net margin of 9.74%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.36 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. Analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is presently 34.06%.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Coign Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.3% in the second quarter. Coign Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,294 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $647,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% during the second quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,243 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 3.0% during the first quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 644 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. CNB Bank lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.8% during the second quarter. CNB Bank now owns 2,521 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,260,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salvus Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% during the first quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,349 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $691,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 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.