Harris has been awarded a $400M increase to the ceiling value of a single-award IDIQ contract to supply electronic warfare, or EW, systems for international F-16 fighters helping to protect allied aircraft against evolving radar and electronic threats. The new ceiling value is $491M and was received during Q4 of Harris' FY18.
Credit Suisse analyst Robert Spingarn raised his price target for Harris to $190 from $175 after the company reported a largely in-line quarter and FY19 guide, while raising its medium-term guidance, calling for high-single digit growth across its Communication Systems and Electronic Systems segments, and indicating further potential upside to margins of 30.0% and 18.6%, respectively. The analyst reiterates an Outperform rating on the shares.
Argus analyst John Eade lowered his price target on Harris to $170 from $196 after a 8.4% decline in its stock price over the past quarter as a result of the "ongoing trade and tariff concerns" stemming from "presidential tweets". Eade keeps his Buy rating however and believes that the pullback offers a buying opportunity, saying the company stands to benefit from a "substantial increase in military spending following the March 2018 federal budget agreement" with solid earnings growth expected in 2018 and beyond. The analyst also notes that the slight valuation premium for Harris on price to sales multiple is deserved given his forecast for the company's earnings growth.
Credit Suisse analyst Robert Spingarn lowered his price target for Harris to $175 from $189 as he downgrades his outlook for Defense hardware stocks to neutral from bullish. The analyst reiterates an Outperform rating on the shares.
Catch up on today's top five analyst upgrades with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Advance Auto Parts (AAP) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Atlantic Equities with analyst Sam Hudson saying he expects an inflection in comps and margins when the company reports towards the end of May. 2. Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Harris (HRS) were upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman Sachs. 3. Louisiana-Pacific (LPX) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at DA Davidson with analyst Steven Chercover saying while the oriented strand board prices are near or at their peak, the company's blend of earnings power, balance sheet liquidity, and sales mix offer a "compelling value" at the stock's current price level. 4. Columbia Property (CXP) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs with analyst Andrew Rosivach saying he sees an attractive entry point at current share levels. 5. Loma Negra (LOMA) upgraded to Buy from Hold at HSBC and to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley. This list is just a portion of The Fly's full analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.