Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Northrop Grumman has been upgraded from a "hold" to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, reflecting increased analyst confidence in the company's performance.
• The stock currently has a consensus price target of $588.85, with varying ratings from different brokerages, including a "buy" rating with a price objective raised to $650.00 by Bank of America.
• Recent earnings results showed Northrop Grumman reported $7.11 EPS, surpassing analyst estimates, and the firm has set its FY 2025 earnings guidance between 25.000-25.400 EPS.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on NOC. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $625.00 price objective (up from $550.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $542.00 target price (down previously from $580.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $547.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $588.85.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $580.56 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $559.81 and a 200 day moving average of $513.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.40, a PEG ratio of 5.55 and a beta of 0.13. Northrop Grumman has a 52 week low of $426.24 and a 52 week high of $600.99.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Fleming sold 3,500 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 1,827 shares in the company, valued at $924,041.79. This trade represents a 65.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $368,706.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 7,552 shares in the company, valued at $3,819,575.04. This represents a 8.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,512 shares of company stock valued at $7,805,146. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 1,006 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,739 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $816,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 358,338 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $168,164,000 after buying an additional 32,373 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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