Susquehanna Raises Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Price Target to $560.00

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its target price boosted by equities researchers at Susquehanna from $540.00 to $560.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “positive” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Susquehanna’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 16.89% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also commented on NOC. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $450.00 price target (down previously from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com lowered Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Alembic Global Advisors raised 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. Finally, TheStreet lowered Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $501.08.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE NOC traded down $8.98 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $479.08. 209,727 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 991,692. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Northrop Grumman has a twelve month low of $414.56 and a twelve month high of $496.89. The company has a market cap of $71.00 billion, a PE ratio of 35.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $462.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $465.71.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its 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 return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 5.23%. The business had revenue of $10.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.50 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $430,103.35. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,137 shares in the company, valued at $1,863,180.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,863,180.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 over the last three months. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NOC. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 960.0% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 53 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 247.6% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 73 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.