Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on NOC. Citigroup increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $565.00 to $505.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $553.27.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:NOC traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $467.82. The company had a trading volume of 624,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 611,409. Northrop Grumman has a 1 year low of $418.60 and a 1 year high of $555.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $490.71 and a 200 day moving average of $490.95. The company has a market cap of $68.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (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 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.18 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $666,461 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $604,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 2.6% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 212,514 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $112,222,000 after acquiring an additional 5,334 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 20.0% in the third quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 7,458 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,938,000 after acquiring an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. Aviso Wealth Management boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 110.7% in the second quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 1,896 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 996 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna International Securities Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth about $1,133,000. 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.