Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Releases FY 2025 Earnings Guidance

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 27.850-28.250 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 28.060. The company issued revenue guidance of $42.0 billion-$42.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $42.8 billion.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Truist Financial started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $544.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price 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 upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $595.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Northrop Grumman from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $587.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $550.94.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:NOC traded down $5.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $476.41. 855,791 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 840,543. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.58, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average of $478.66 and a 200 day moving average of $497.63.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. On average, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 25.96 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.05%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the business'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 transaction, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.