Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Receives $553.27 Consensus PT from Analysts

Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $549.93.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $452.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a market cap of $65.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $487.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $492.42. Northrop Grumman has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The firm had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.18 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman will post 25.93 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 51.05%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 245.5% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $40,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.