Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) PT Raised to $560.00 at Susquehanna

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its price target increased by stock analysts at Susquehanna from $540.00 to $560.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “positive” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Susquehanna’s price target indicates a potential upside of 16.56% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. TheStreet cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $503.00.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC opened at $480.45 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $462.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $465.77. Northrop Grumman has a 52-week low of $414.56 and a 52-week high of $496.89. The company has a market cap of $71.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.60, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.83 by $0.49. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. The firm had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at about $210,000. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 13.0% in the first quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC now owns 522 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Narwhal Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.7% in the first quarter. Narwhal Capital Management now owns 19,396 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $9,284,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. LifeSteps Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth approximately $183,000. Finally, Northwest Bancshares Inc. lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 14.4% during the 1st quarter. Northwest Bancshares Inc. now owns 1,344 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $643,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.