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Northrop (NOC) Beats on Earnings in Q1, Hikes '18 EPS View

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Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2018 earnings of $4.21 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.63 by 16%.

Reported earnings went up by 14.1% from $3.69 recorded in the year-ago quarter, on the back of higher year-over-year revenue.

Total Revenues

In first-quarter 2018, Northrop Grumman reported total revenues of $6.74 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.58 billion by 2.3%.

Revenues also increased 5.1% from the year-ago figure of $6.41 billion. The revenue upside was primarily driven by increase in Aerospace Systems and Mission Systems sales.

Segmental Details

Aerospace Systems: Segment sales of $3.28 billion increased 9.9% year over year primarily due to higher Manned Aircraft sales.

Moreover, operating income was up 6% year over year to $341 million while operating margin contracted 40 basis points (bps).

Mission Systems: Segment sales increased 3% to $2.88 billion due to higher volume for Sensors and Processing programs.

Operating income rose 3% to $371 million compared to the prior-year figure while operating margin increased 10 bps to 12.9%.

Technology Services: Sales at the segment fell 4% to $1.14 billion.

Operating income decreased 5% to $122 million along with its operating margin contracting 10 bps to 10.7%.

Operational Update

Total operating cost and expenses in the first quarter of 2018 amounted to $5.88 billion, an increase of 6% from the previous year’s figure.

Operating income for the first quarter of 2018 dipped 0.9% year over year, to $0.85 billion.

Financial Condition

Northrop Grumman’s cash and cash equivalents as of Mar 31, 2018 were $10.37 billion, down from $11.23 billion as of Dec 31, 2017.

Long-term debt (net of current portion) as of Mar 31, 2018, was $14.39 billion, in line with the long-term debt at 2017 end.

Net cash used in operating activities at the end of Mar 31, 2018 was $0.24 billion compared with the year-ago figure of $0.44 billion.

What’s Ahead?

Northrop Grumman continues to expect to generate total revenues in excess of $27 billion in 2018. The company also kept its free cash flow expectation in the range of $2-$2.3 billion in 2018. The 2018 earnings are now expected to be in the range of $15.40 to $15.65 per share, up from $15.00 to $15.25 per share.

 

Northrop Grumman Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

 

Recent Peer Releases

The Boeing Company (BA - Free Report) reported adjusted earnings of $3.64 per share for first-quarter 2018, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.59 by 40.5%. The quarterly bottom line reflected an improvement of 68% from $2.17 in the year-ago quarter.

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2018 earnings from continuing operations of $4.02 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.35 by 20%. The earnings figure also came in higher than the year-ago figure of $2.69 per share, by 49%.

Textron Inc. (TXT - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2018 earnings from continuing operations of 72 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 46 cents by 56.5%. Notably, the bottom line was up 94.6% from 37 cents in the year-ago quarter.

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