Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its price target boosted by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $690.00 to $710.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 2.61% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $727.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price target (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $800.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $765.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $709.65.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.6%

NOC traded up $4.46 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $691.93. The company had a trading volume of 194,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 954,865. Northrop Grumman has a 52 week low of $450.13 and a 52 week high of $774.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $98.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.76, a PEG ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.04. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $710.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $634.32.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The firm had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total value of $65,029.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at $2,877,037.56. The trade was a 2.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total transaction of $1,575,226.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $108,661.11. The trade was a 93.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 22,431 shares of company stock valued at $15,924,404 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Focused Investors LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,054,000 after purchasing an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 74.5% in the 3rd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,739,000 after purchasing an additional 4,721 shares during the period. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,818,000. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,015,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 81,747 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $49,810,000 after purchasing an additional 3,215 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is a leading U.S.-based aerospace and defense company that designs, builds and sustains advanced systems, products and technologies for government and commercial customers. Formed through the combination of Northrop and Grumman businesses in the 1990s, the company’s portfolio spans manned and unmanned aircraft, space systems, missile defense, radar and sensor systems, and integrated command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) solutions.

The company’s work includes airframe and platform manufacturing, space hardware and satellite systems, advanced mission systems and cybersecurity services, as well as logistics, sustainment and modernization programs.