Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Stock Rating Upgraded by The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $521.00 target price on the aerospace company's stock, up from their prior target price of $424.00.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $500.00 to $575.00 in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $544.00 target price on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $543.65.

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Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.2 %

Northrop Grumman stock traded down $6.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $529.43. 926,739 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,039,648. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $483.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $491.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Northrop Grumman has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. Analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 29.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total transaction of $213,788.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 245 shares in the company, valued at $112,883.75. This trade represents a 65.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $101,243,053.80. The trade was a 1.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,127,182. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 16,660 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $7,818,000 after buying an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP now owns 48,367 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $22,698,000 after acquiring an additional 1,786 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth about $604,000. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 8,857 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $284,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

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.