Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on NOC. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. TheStreet lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $503.00.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded down $7.53 on Friday, hitting $480.53. The company had a trading volume of 1,371,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,006,915. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $462.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $465.77. Northrop Grumman has a 1 year low of $414.56 and a 1 year high of $496.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted 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. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The firm had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.50 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total transaction of $322,239.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,317.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $430,103.35. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,863,180.69. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total transaction of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $784,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 14.1% in the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 170 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.0% in the third quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 604 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

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.