Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $480.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $625.00 price objective (up previously from $550.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $542.00 target price (down from $580.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $588.85.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.1%

NOC stock opened at $580.56 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $83.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.55 and a beta of 0.13. Northrop Grumman has a 12 month low of $426.24 and a 12 month high of $600.99. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $559.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $513.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.84 by $0.27. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 25.52%. The firm had revenue of $10.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.36 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Robert J. Fleming sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total value of $1,770,195.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $924,041.79. This trade represents a 65.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $3,793,275.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 201,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,964,243.54. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,512 shares of company stock worth $7,805,146 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NOC. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 1,006 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,739 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $816,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 358,338 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $168,164,000 after buying an additional 32,373 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.