{"id":50956,"date":"2023-08-21T02:05:38","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T06:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/news\/northrop-grumman-4-reasons-to-buy-this-leading-defense-contractor-nysenoc\/"},"modified":"2023-08-21T02:05:42","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T06:05:42","slug":"northrop-grumman-4-reasons-to-buy-this-leading-defense-contractor-nysenoc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=50956","title":{"rendered":"Northrop Grumman: 4 Reasons To Buy This Leading Defense Contractor (NYSE:NOC)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-test-id=\"content-container\">\n<p><figure class=\"getty-figure\" data-type=\"getty-image\"><picture><\/picture><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<h2>Research Brief<\/h2>\n<p>Recently, my focus on the &#8220;innovation&#8221; &amp; &#8220;managed services&#8221; sector turned towards a specific niche: federal contractors specializing in aerospace, homeland security, &amp; cybersecurity.<\/p>\n<p>After my coverage of General Dynamics (GD), L3Harris Technologies (LHX<span class=\"paywall-full-content invisible\">), Leidos (<\/span>LDOS<span class=\"paywall-full-content invisible\">), and Booz Allen Hamilton (<\/span>BAH<span class=\"paywall-full-content invisible\">), today I will deep dive into the next one in this series and a well-known name in this space:<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible\"><strong>Northrop Grumman<\/strong> (<span class=\"ticker-hover-wrapper\">NYSE:NOC<\/span>), who recently had its 2023Q2 results on July 27th, will be today&#8217;s feature stock.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible\">My personal experience with this sector started in 2001 as a Drew University student during my leadership semester in Washington DC, passing by facilities of Northrop &amp; Lockheed on the train ride there, a memory I vividly recall. Then, the endless policy discussions and panels during that semester, and research papers, and visits to Capitol Hill and lobbyist offices. All of this is part of the &#8220;ecosystem&#8221; in which this firm<span class=\"paywall-full-content no-summary-bullets invisible\"> operates, and a lot of federal public monies are at stake in this process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">For readers new to this stock, here are quick notable points I think should be relevant about this company, from its website: 95K employees, facilities in all 50 states &amp; 25+ countries worldwide, based in Virginia US, majority of its business comes from US federal government: defense &amp; intelligence sector. 2022 sales were $36.6B. Trades on NYSE.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Rating Methodology<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">To get a &#8220;holistic&#8221; rating score of buy, sell, or hold, I break down my analysis into 5 categories: dividends, share price, valuation, earnings growth, &amp; capital strength.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">If I recommend the stock on at least 3 of these categories it gets a hold rating, and at least 4 will give it a buy rating. A score of less than 3 is a sell rating.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Dividends: Recommend<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">The first category I will look at is dividends, and compare to the overall sector. As of Aug. 19th, according to dividend data from Seeking Alpha, Northrop has a dividend yield of 1.74%, not terrible or attention-grabbing either.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Worthy of mention is its dividend of $1.87 per share is quarterly and has an upcoming ex date this week on the 25th, which could be worth taking advantage of.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924598433006608.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop Grumman - dividend yield\" width=\"640\" height=\"339\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"339\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop Grumman &#8211; dividend yield (Seeking Alpha)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Another key data point is a 5-year proven dividend growth rate, shown in the chart below. The stock went from an annual dividend of $4.70 in 2018 to $6.76 in 2022, an almost 44% gain in 5 years, which is impressive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Though not a guarantor of future dividends, this does show evidence of past &amp; current financial strength to return capital back to shareholders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924601129557967.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - dividend 5 year growth\" width=\"640\" height=\"290\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"290\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; dividend 5 year growth (Seeking Alpha)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">If you look at the dividend payout history, it also shows a reliable quarterly payout every quarter since 2020, and has been increasing, another good sign and it should provide confidence to the dividend-income portfolio investor in this sector.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924607145059302.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - dividend history\" width=\"640\" height=\"479\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"479\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; dividend history (Seeking Alpha)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">In comparing Northrop&#8217;s dividend yield to some the peers I mentioned, if you consider that Booz Allen&#8217;s dividend yield is just 1.64%, and Leidos has a yield of 1.50%, Northrop beats them both slightly on dividend yield, an important metric because a higher yield means a better return on capital invested.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Based on the evidence, I can safely recommend this stock in the category of dividends.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Share Price: Recommend<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">In this category, I am taking a very simplified approach to determining whether the current share price is a buy opportunity or not.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">First, I pull the current chart as of Aug. 19th after yesterday&#8217;s market close, showing the closing price of $430.17 (blue line) vs the 200-day simple moving average of $471.24 (orange line). Now, don&#8217;t get startled in seeing a share price as gigantic as this, as it is not the price itself that should decide a buy decision.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"sa-widget sa-ycharts paywall-full-content invisible\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/saupload_ad554e7c3bf63a45a9bdbe28635ac081.png\" alt=\"Chart\" width=\"635\" height=\"366\" class=\"sa-ycharts-img\" data-width=\"635\" data-height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption>Data by YCharts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Second, I establish a goal for how long I want to hold the stock, my goal for return on capital, and my maximum risk tolerance for capital loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">In my fictitious trade, I will buy 10 shares and hold for 1 year to earn the full year dividend income, my goal is at least 10% return on capital after a year, and my loss tolerance is negative -10% return in a year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Assumptions: the moving average I am tracking will move up by 10% in a year, and that will be my sell price, or it will drop by 10% and that will be my sell price. This establishes a &#8220;range&#8221; to think about long term.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">In the following simulation, I just plug in the current share price, current 200-day SMA, and dividend amount. My target sell price of $518.36 is 10% above the current moving average. In this simulation, I exceed my profit goal and achieve 22.24% return on capital invested. Income is from capital gains and dividends.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924613492850924.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - trade simulation 1 - gain scenario\" width=\"640\" height=\"153\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"153\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; trade simulation 1 &#8211; gain scenario (author analysis)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">In the 2nd simulation, testing a loss scenario, I plug in the same data and my sell price now is 10% below the current SMA. However, my capital loss is offset by dividend income, so I am actually getting a positive return of +0.33%, hence it is within my max loss limit of negative -10%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924615086723588.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - trade simulation 2 - loss scenario\" width=\"640\" height=\"171\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"171\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; trade simulation 2 &#8211; loss scenario (author analysis)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Because the current share price works out in both simulations, I would recommend it as a buying price.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Valuation: Recommend<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">In this category, I will look at valuation from the point of view of the price to earnings and price to book value, using valuation data from Seeking Alpha.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">First, as of Aug. 19th the forward P\/E of 18.98 is impressively over 5% below the sector average which is hovering closer to 20x earnings, as seen below. This earned it a &#8220;B-&#8221; grade from Seeking Alpha, and this is a key metric to follow, showing that the market is willing to pay almost 19x earnings for this stock.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><picture><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924626424618123.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - P\/E ratio\" width=\"506\" height=\"219\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"506\" data-height=\"219\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/picture><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; P\/E ratio (Seeking Alpha)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">In terms of price-to-book, the market is paying 4x book value when the sector average is closer to 2.4x book, making this stock almost 64% higher than its sector.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><picture><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924732258425438.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - P\/B ratio\" width=\"530\" height=\"92\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"530\" data-height=\"92\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/picture><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; P\/B ratio (Seeking Alpha)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">In weighing the two metrics, although its price to book seems overvalued, the price to earnings is still very attractive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Incidentally, in comparing to one of its peers, Northrop&#8217;s price to book is still far better than that of Booz Allen, whose trailing P\/B ratio is over 486% above the sector average, earning an &#8220;F&#8221; grade. Also, another peer I have not covered yet, Lockheed Martin (LMT), has a forward P\/B ratio that is 439% above the sector average. If you know this sector, you know that Lockheed is also a major competitor of Northrop Grumman, as is Boeing (BA).<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">So, my outlook is that the valuation can be recommended based on the evidence shown.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Earnings Growth: Not Recommended<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">At first glance, the top line figures YoY look great, with a jump in total revenues as well as gross profit, as the table shows:<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924762721391907.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - top line revenue YoY\" width=\"640\" height=\"146\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"146\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; top line revenue YoY (Seeking Alpha)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">However, the bottom line not so good, with net income showing a YoY drop:<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-1692476601168539.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - net income YoY\" width=\"640\" height=\"75\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"75\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; net income YoY (Seeking Alpha)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">On closer look, their operating income YoY fell across multiple business segments:<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924769965021052.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - operating income YoY\" width=\"640\" height=\"371\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"371\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; operating income YoY (company q2 presentation)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">According to the company earnings release commentary:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<p>Second quarter 2023 net earnings decreased $134 million, or 14 percent, primarily due to a $244 million reduction in the non-operating FAS pension benefit.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">This impact can be seen in the earnings per share YoY comparison too:<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><picture><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924774613228111.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - diluted EPS YoY\" width=\"406\" height=\"491\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"406\" data-height=\"491\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/picture><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; diluted EPS YoY (company Q2 presentation)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">In this case, I have to ding the company in this category and not recommend on earnings growth, despite strong top line numbers. I do expect an improvement in Q3.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Capital Strength: Recommend<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">I would recommend this company in the category of capital strength and here some key data points to strengthen that thesis:<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">According to the Q2 presentation, the company will &#8220;continue to expect to return over 100% of adjusted free cash flow this year to shareholders, including ~$1.5 billion in share repurchases.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">This is a positive sign, I think.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Further, I like the positive cash flow they achieved in the last quarter as well of around $0.6B<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-1692478766137487.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - free cash flow\" width=\"640\" height=\"281\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"281\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; free cash flow (company Q2 presentation)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">In taking a look at the company balance sheet, it has greatly expanded both on the asset and liability side, since the end of 2022, with a cash &amp; cash equivalent position of $3.3B, total assets of $45.6B, total liabilities of $30B.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924793324289536.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - balance sheet\" width=\"640\" height=\"484\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"484\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; balance sheet (company q2 earnings release)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">The one thing I would mention, though, is that we are in a very high interest rate environment since last year, after Fed rate hikes, so the question would be what is the impact of rates on this company&#8217;s long-term debt, and interest expense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">The following table gives some insight into this topic, showing a YoY increase in the interest expense, with interest expense at $147MM. In Q3 commentary I would like to see more about how they are reducing their long-term debt load effectively.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-1692479989856386.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - interest expense\" width=\"640\" height=\"101\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"640\" data-height=\"101\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; interest expense (Seeking Alpha)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Rating Score: Buy<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Today, this stock won 4 of my 5 rating categories, earning a &#8220;buy&#8221; rating from me, which is actually in line with the consensus from analysts and Wall Street who I agree with this time, but it is more bullish than the SA quant system, as shown below.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<figure class=\"regular-img-figure paywall-full-content invisible\" contenteditable=\"false\"><picture><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/58572054-16924748664721549.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop - rating consensus\" width=\"278\" height=\"168\" contenteditable=\"false\" data-width=\"278\" data-height=\"168\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/picture><figcaption>\n<p class=\"item-caption\">Northrop &#8211; rating consensus (Seeking Alpha)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Again, what prevented it from being a &#8220;strong buy&#8221; was the poor showing on YoY net income growth.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Risk to my Outlook: Sector Competition<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">A risk to my modestly bullish outlook is the fact that Northrop has to compete for contracts with some big players in this space like Lockheed and Boeing, among others. A few big contract losses to those competitors, especially media publicized ones, may cause investors to be bearish on this stock, making my outlook too rosy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">However, the benchmark I look at is the current pipeline of contracts or programs already awarded and in progress. Consider all the work coming this company&#8217;s way, according to their Q2 earnings release:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">\n<p>Q2 and YTD 2023 net awards totaled $10.9B and $18.9B, respectively, and backlog totaled $78.8B. Significant Q2 new awards include $5.4B for restricted programs (primarily at Space Systems, Aeronautics Systems and Mission Systems), $0.6B for F-35 (primarily at Aeronautics Systems and Mission Systems), $0.3B for the Missile Defense Agency&#8217;s Ballistic Missile Defense System Overhead Persistent Infrared Architecture (BOA) and $0.3B for Virginia-Class submarines.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">I am of the opinion that these awards and other will more than keep them busy and the revenue coming, despite competition from big players, and thereby lessening the risk of a bearish Wall Street, though not eliminating that risk entirely. After all, federal contracts can get cancelled, delayed, renewed or not renewed, and so on.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Analysis Wrap-up<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Here are the points we went over today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">This stock got a buy rating today, in line with the consensus from Wall Street analysts, but more bullish than the quant system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Positives: dividends, share price, valuation, capital strength.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Headwinds: earnings growth YoY.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">Concluding thoughts:<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">This wraps up this month&#8217;s series on the innovation sector when it comes to federal contractors, with a focus on aerospace &amp; homeland security.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall-full-content invisible no-summary-bullets\">The sector will remain on my watchlist, and this stock in particular, due to its seemingly never-ending pipeline of projects &amp; work, and federal dollars flowing its way. Hence, my forward-looking sentiment on both this stock and sector is generally positive, expecting continued strong financial fundamentals in the next several years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Read the full article <a href=\"https:\/\/seekingalpha.com\/article\/4629903-northrop-grumman-stock-4-reasons-buy-this-leading-defense-contractor?source=feed_all_articles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Research Brief Recently, my focus on the &#8220;innovation&#8221; &amp; &#8220;managed services&#8221; sector turned towards a specific niche: federal contractors specializing in aerospace, homeland security, &amp; cybersecurity. After my coverage of General Dynamics (GD), L3Harris Technologies (LHX), Leidos (LDOS), and Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH), today I will deep dive into the next one in this series [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[236],"tags":[83],"class_list":["post-50956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Northrop Grumman: 4 Reasons To Buy This Leading Defense Contractor (NYSE:NOC) | iFintechWorld<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Research Brief Recently, my focus on the &quot;innovation&quot; &amp; &quot;managed services&quot; sector turned towards a specific niche: federal contractors specializing in\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=50956\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Northrop Grumman: 4 Reasons To Buy This Leading Defense Contractor (NYSE:NOC) | iFintechWorld\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Research Brief Recently, my focus on the &quot;innovation&quot; 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