Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The aerospace company reported $7.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.84 by $0.27, Zacks reports. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 25.52%. The company had revenue of $10.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.36 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman updated its FY 2025 guidance to 25.000-25.400 EPS.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC stock traded up $1.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $569.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 635,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 771,872. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market cap of $81.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99, a P/E/G ratio of 6.18 and a beta of 0.15. The business has a fifty day moving average of $501.34 and a 200-day moving average of $490.55. Northrop Grumman has a twelve month low of $426.24 and a twelve month high of $576.86.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.06%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $368,706.33. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 7,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,819,575.04. This represents a 8.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Fleming sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $1,770,195.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,827 shares in the company, valued at $924,041.79. The trade was a 65.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 16,569 shares of company stock worth $8,323,150. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NOC. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 367.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on NOC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $542.00 target price (down from $580.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Susquehanna set a $540.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $569.33.

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.