Should Value Investors Pick Northrop Grumman (NOC) Stock?

Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?

One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:

PE Ratio

A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.

On this front, Northrop Grumman has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 17.19, as you can see in the chart below:

This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 18.26. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Northrop Grumman’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years. Moreover, the current level is fairly below the highs for this stock, suggesting it might be a good entry point.

Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 20.70. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

However, we should point out that Northrop Grumman has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 18.91, so we might say that the forward earnings estimates indicate that the company’s share price will likely appreciate in the near future.

P/S Ratio

Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.

Right now, Northrop Grumman has a P/S ratio of about 1.92. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.22 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

NOC is actually in the higher zone of its trading range in the time period per the P/S metric, which suggests that the company’s stock price has already appreciated to some degree, relative to its sales.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Northrop Grumman currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Northrop Grumman a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the PEG ratio for Northrop Grumman is 1.52, a level that is lower than the industry average of 2.08. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Additionally, its P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 13.93, which is better than the industry average of 14.27. Clearly, NOC is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Northrop Grumman might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of A and a Momentum score of D. This gives NOC a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of B. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been mostly trending higher. While the current quarter has not seen any estimate revisions in the past sixty days, the full year estimate has seen two upward and zero downward revisions in the same time period.

As a result, the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 1.1% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has inched up by 0.4%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Even though Northrop Grumman has a better estimates trend, the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). That is why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Northrop Grumman is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. With a solid industry rank (among the Top 3%), Northrop Grumman looks like a strong value contender. In fact, over the past two years, the industry has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:

So, despite a Zacks Rank #3, we believe that bullish analyst sentiment and favorable industry factors make this stock a compelling value pick.

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