We recently compiled a list of the 11 Worst Aviation Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) stands against the other aviation stocks.
The aviation industry has been one of the most important segments of the market in the 20th and 21st centuries. The future of aviation is closely tied to the broader landscape of mobility, which is important for economic growth, social connectivity, and access to services like trade, healthcare, and education.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the airline industry has made a strong recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, with global traffic surpassing pre-pandemic levels by February 2024. Domestic travel rebounded first, which reached pre-Covid levels by spring 2023, while international travel followed more recently.
However, the global network has shifted since 2019. China’s international travel recovered slowly due to the delayed easing of restrictions, economic uncertainties, and geopolitical issues. On the other hand, domestic travel in China hit record highs, driven by internal tourism. Routes between Asia and Europe continue to be affected by the war in Ukraine.
Most regions are expected to exceed 2019 traffic levels in 2024, with global passenger numbers forecasted to grow 10.4% year-over-year.
The report states that Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing region, which is projected to contribute over half of global passenger growth by 2043 and it is led by India and China. Despite risks like geopolitical conflicts and climate policies, improved economic conditions may boost demand.
Air connectivity, a main driver of global economic growth, is set to hit a record in 2024 with over 22,000 unique city pairs, aided by declining ticket fares. Meanwhile, air cargo demand has rebounded, driven by e-commerce and shipping disruptions. The global capacity is expected to increase further, though the cargo load factor will likely decrease as capacity exceeds demand.
Use of AI in the Industry
Like most industries of today, airlines are also implementing AI to improve the efficiency of their operations. According to an August report by CNBC, these companies are using AI for tasks like ground control, customer service, and optimizing flight routes.
American Airlines introduced its AI-powered “smart gating” system at its Dallas-Fort Worth control center. The tool automatically assigns gates to incoming flights, which cut runway taxi time by around 20%, or two minutes per flight, across five airports. The system also helps passengers, baggage, and crews make quicker connections, which improves overall efficiency.
Alaska is using AI to streamline flight paths and optimize aircraft turnaround times at gates. Its tool is described as “Waze for the skies,” and it uses AI to plan faster routes, which saves fuel and reduces delays. Additionally, the system monitors ground operations as it tracks when fuel, catering, and baggage trucks arrive and depart, which allows agents to address delays immediately.
United has implemented generative AI for customer service, especially during flight disruptions. The AI generates detailed, empathetic messages explaining delays, which has increased customer satisfaction by 4% since its rollout on 6,000 flights.
Despite these advancements, the airlines said that AI is not replacing jobs but is improving operational efficiency. AI tools allow airlines to improve areas where humans may struggle to handle complex tasks as efficiently. These things, like reducing flight delays or cutting minutes off turnaround times, aim to improve overall service without completely automating operations.
Our Methodology
For this article, we used stock screeners and ETFs to identify 65 companies above $50 million market cap that have significant operations in the aviation industry. We narrowed our list to 11 companies where less than 50% of the analysts that have covered the stock have Buy-equivalent ratings. In addition, we skipped stocks with an average analyst price target upside above 15%. The stocks are listed in descending order of their average analyst price target upside.
We also added the hedge fund sentiment around each stock which was taken from our database of over 900 elite hedge funds. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
An aeronautics engineer inspecting a model aircraft engine in a factory setting.
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)
Average Analyst Price Target Upside as of September 16: -1.20%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 49
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a significant player in the aerospace and defense sectors, with a deep-rooted history in aviation. The company is renowned for designing and producing a range of advanced aircraft for the U.S. military and international clients. One of its most iconic contributions to aviation is the B-2 Spirit, a stealth bomber that remains the world’s only known stealth aircraft capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons.
The company also plays a noteworthy role in unmanned aerial systems by developing platforms such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk, a high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force.
Its aviation segment, Aeronautics Systems, supports a range of other aircraft such as the E-2 Hawkeye, a carrier-based early warning aircraft used by the U.S. Navy, and the T-38 Talon, a supersonic trainer for fighter pilots. Northrop Grumman’s (NYSE:NOC) technological advancement in aircraft design, stealth technology, and unmanned systems solidifies its position as a major innovator in modern aviation.
While the company is a major player in the aviation industry, analysts are currently a little bearish on it. 27 analysts have covered it and 14 of them keep a Hold rating on it, 1 analyst has an Underweight rating and 2 maintain a Sell rating on the company stock. The average analyst price target for the company is $515, which is 1.20% below its stock price on September 16.
On August 27, Northrop Grumman’s (NYSE:NOC) stock was downgraded by Alembic Global from Overweight to Neutral with a $560 price target.
Despite this pessimism shown by analysts, it is a fundamentally strong company and was awarded a $197.5 million U.S. Navy contract earlier in September to produce 56,000 FMU-139D/B Bomb Tactical Electronic Fuze systems.
The contract also includes additional components such as 500 fuze accessory kits, training fuze systems, bomb initiators, power cables, and closure rings. The products will support the Navy, Air Force, and Foreign Military Sales as part of the Joint Direct Attack Mission weapons program. The program is expected to be completed by 2029.
Moreover, in July, the company received a $1.5 billion contract to supply the US Navy and Japan with nine E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, with four designated for the US Navy and five for Japan. The contract also includes support services for both nations and its completion is expected by March 2029.
Overall NOC ranks 6th on our list of the worst aviation stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of NOC as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NOC but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.