Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.27 EPS

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.27), Zacks reports. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.07 billion. Northrop Grumman updated its FY 2025 guidance to 24.950-25.350 EPS.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 2.2 %

NOC stock traded up $10.31 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $473.38. 1,329,267 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 887,279. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $491.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $490.24. Northrop Grumman has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57. The company has a market cap of $68.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total transaction of $213,788.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $112,883.75. The trade was a 65.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,182. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Northrop Grumman stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 176.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on NOC. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $542.94.

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.