Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday.

NOC has been the topic of a number of other reports. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $550.56.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC stock opened at $490.86 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $71.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $521.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $486.44. Northrop Grumman has a 1 year low of $418.60 and a 1 year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The company had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.18 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman will post 25.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $286,183.41. This represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 1,289 shares of company stock valued at $685,273 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 241.2% during the 2nd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 245.5% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.