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Northrop Grumman (NOC) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know

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Northrop Grumman (NOC - Free Report) closed at $322.03 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.55% move from the prior day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.13%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.13%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 0.24%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the defense contractor had gained 4.09% over the past month. This has lagged the Aerospace sector's gain of 6.5% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.13% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from NOC as it approaches its next earnings release. On that day, NOC is projected to report earnings of $4.64 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 18.07%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $8.40 billion, up 18% from the prior-year quarter.

NOC's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $19.41 per share and revenue of $33.91 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of -9% and +12.66%, respectively.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for NOC. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.08% higher. NOC is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking at its valuation, NOC is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 16.69. This represents a no noticeable deviation compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 16.69.

Investors should also note that NOC has a PEG ratio of 1.3 right now. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Aerospace - Defense was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.94 at yesterday's closing price.

The Aerospace - Defense industry is part of the Aerospace sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 34, which puts it in the top 14% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks. Com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.


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