/Bolts%20washers%20and%20nuts%20industrial%20hardware%20by%20Alpar%20via%20Adobe%20Stock.jpeg)
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC), headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, specializes in aerospace, defense, and security solutions for various industry applications. Valued at $71 billion by market cap, the company provides systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. The aerospace and defense major is expected to announce its fiscal second-quarter earnings for 2026 before the market opens on Tuesday, Jul. 21.
Ahead of the event, analysts expect NOC to report a profit of $6.81 per share on a diluted basis, down 4.2% from $7.11 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company has consistently surpassed Wall Street’s EPS estimates in its last four quarterly reports.
For the full year, analysts expect NOC to report EPS of $27.95, up 6.1% from $26.34 in fiscal 2025. Its EPS is expected to rise 7.8% year over year to $30.12 in fiscal 2027.
NOC stock has underperformed the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 19.8% gains over the past 52 weeks, with shares up 1.3% during this period. Similarly, it underperformed the State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLI) 24.7% gains over the same time frame.
On Apr. 21, NOC shares fell 7% after reporting its Q1 results. Its EPS of $6.14 beat Wall Street expectations of $6.08. The company’s revenue was $9.9 billion, beating Wall Street forecasts of $9.8 billion. NOC expects full-year EPS in the range of $27.40 to $27.90, and revenue in the range of $43.5 billion to $44 billion. Investor enthusiasm for NOC cooled as the company pointed to ongoing supply chain strain and slower international sales cycles.
Analysts’ consensus opinion on NOC stock is moderately bullish, with a “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Out of 22 analysts covering the stock, 12 advise a “Strong Buy” rating, one suggests a “Moderate Buy,” and nine give a “Hold.” NOC’s average analyst price target is $705.86, indicating a notable potential upside of 41.2% from the current levels.
