Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $550.56.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen upgraded Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Alembic Global Advisors lowered Northrop Grumman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $560.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock worth $666,461 in the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,915.9% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 438,521 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $191,173,000 after acquiring an additional 416,768 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 102.6% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 735,600 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $388,448,000 after acquiring an additional 372,500 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth about $74,206,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 113.6% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 296,844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $129,409,000 after acquiring an additional 157,854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 16.0% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,087,913 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $474,276,000 after purchasing an additional 150,367 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $480.18 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $69.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.75, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $511.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $487.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.09. Northrop Grumman has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.05%.

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.