Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) PT Raised to $475.00

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its price target lifted by Royal Bank of Canada from $450.00 to $475.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a sector perform rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

NOC has been the topic of a number of other reports. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and set a $532.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a research note on Friday. TheStreet downgraded Northrop Grumman from a b+ rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $503.00.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $480.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $71.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman has a 52 week low of $414.56 and a 52 week high of $496.89. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $462.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $465.77.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.83 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $10.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.50 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $1.87 per share. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 52.31%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $784,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 170 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.0% during the third quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 604 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

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.