Northrop Grumman - NOC Stock Forecast, Price & News

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense company worldwide. 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. Its Defense Systems segment designs, develops, and produces weapons and mission systems. It offers products and services, such as integrated battle management systems, weapons systems and aircraft, and mission systems. This segment also provides command and control and weapons systems, including munitions and missiles; precision strike weapons; propulsion, such as air-breathing and hypersonic systems; gun systems and precision munitions; life cycle service and support for software, weapons systems, and aircraft; and logistics support, sustainment, operation, and modernization for air, sea, and ground systems. The company's Mission Systems segment offers cyber, command, control, communications and computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; radar, electro-optical/infrared and acoustic sensors; electronic warfare systems; advanced communications and network systems; cyber solutions; intelligence processing systems; navigation; and maritime power, propulsion, and payload launch systems. This segment also provides airborne multifunction sensors; maritime/land systems and sensors; navigation, targeting, and survivability solutions; and networked information solutions. Its Space Systems segment offers satellites and payloads; ground systems; missile defense systems and interceptors; launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; and strategic missiles. The company was founded in 1939 and is based in Falls Church, Virginia.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $488.00 to $529.00 in a research note on Friday, July 29th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $420.00 to $495.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 12th. Finally, Susquehanna Bancshares boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, July 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $468.18.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $470.05 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08, a PEG ratio of 8.81 and a beta of 0.62. The company's 50-day moving average is $465.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $445.87. Northrop Grumman has a 1-year low of $344.89 and a 1-year high of $492.30.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 31st were issued a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $1.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 27th. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is presently 19.26%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 10,000 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $481.87, for a total value of $4,818,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 134,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $64,851,510.21. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Thomas L. Wilson, Jr. sold 582 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $482.00, for a total value of $280,524.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,094 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,009,308. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 10,000 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $481.87, for a total value of $4,818,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 134,583 shares of the company's stock, valued at $64,851,510.21. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.