Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Stock

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its price objective increased by research analysts at Citigroup from $781.00 to $807.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 14.65% from the stock’s previous close.

NOC has been the subject of a number of other reports. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $752.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $708.65.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.2%

NOC opened at $703.88 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $709.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $631.49. Northrop Grumman has a fifty-two week low of $450.13 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00. The company has a market cap of $99.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total transaction of $1,575,226.29. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $108,661.11. This represents a 93.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,850,774.50. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 32,431 shares of company stock valued at $21,969,404 over the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth about $403,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 38,076 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $21,712,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 70.1% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,497 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,564,000 after purchasing an additional 1,853 shares in the last quarter. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth about $627,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 77,515 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $44,205,000 after buying an additional 9,272 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by 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.