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

Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $544.31.

NOC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC opened at $471.17 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $68.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $478.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $499.42.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. On average, analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman will post 28.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 1,222 shares of company stock worth $647,025 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by 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.