Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the sixteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $547.44.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,317,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,490 shares of company stock valued at $747,372. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 241.2% during the second quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 245.5% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NOC opened at $519.35 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $523.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $481.03. Northrop Grumman has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.90, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.34.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.18 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman will post 25.16 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 53.79%.

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.