Northrop Grumman Beats Up on Analysts Yet Again

Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC  ) reported earnings on Jan. 30. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Northrop Grumman beat expectations on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue was unchanged and GAAP earnings per share grew slightly.

Gross margins grew, operating margins increased, net margins contracted.

Revenue details
Northrop Grumman notched revenue of $6.48 billion. The 15 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for revenue of $6.33 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 0.5% lower than the prior-year quarter's $6.51 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $2.14. The 18 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $1.75 per share. GAAP EPS of $2.14 for Q4 were 2.9% higher than the prior-year quarter's $2.08 per share. (The prior-year quarter included -$0.01 per share in earnings from discontinued operations.)

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 24.1%, 200 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 12.7%, 40 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 8.2%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $6.03 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.71.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $24.36 billion. The average EPS estimate is $6.96.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 792 members out of 855 rating the stock outperform, and 63 members rating it underperform. Among 260 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 247 give Northrop Grumman a green thumbs-up, and 13 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Northrop Grumman is hold, with an average price target of $65.80.

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