The GovCon Index held negative throughout Tuesday trade and closed at a decline of 0.489 points to 76.365 with Harris Corp. (NYSE: HRS) as the largest lagger after another full-year guidance cut by the military radio maker.
Melbourne, Florida-based Harris fell 5.48 percent — or $4.43 – after the company reduced the 12-month revenue forecast in its third-quarter financial statement and brought full-year earnings expectations to the prior outlook’s lower end.
Harris — also an S&P 500 stock — cited declining orders in the Middle East in its revised outlook and attributed oil price declines to the previous revenue guidance cut issued in February.
Tuesday’s decline swings Harris’ 12-month change to a 5.02-percent loss as the stock was up nearly one-half percent over 52 weeks prior to the market open, while shares are down 12.07 percent since the start of the year.
CACI International (NYSE: CACI) continued its post-earnings slide with decline of 2.29 percent — or $2.23 — and is down 13.5 percent percent over four days since the government and information services contractor reported second-quarter revenue below analyst expectations.
Cubic Corp. (NYSE: CUB) fell 5.19 percent — or $2.16 – a day after the defense and transportation contractor narrowed its full-year earnings guidance and lifted the 12-month sales forecast on added contributions from two companies acquired in the fall.
Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) rose 0.62 percent — or $1.29 – after Drexel Hamilton raised the aerospace and defense contractor’s price target from $207 to $235 and restated the stock’s current “Buy” rating in a research note to investors.
Drexel Hamilton cited Northrop’s prospects for growth from its role as a subcontractor on the F-35 fighter jet program and prime awardee for the B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber.
Defense primes Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA) and Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) also posted gains with L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) up for a second straight session after an upgrade from Goldman Sachs Monday.
U.S. stocks declined on global growth worries stemming from data that showed manufacturing in China showed contraction for a 14th consecutive month to fall below analyst expectations as well as a decline in overall employment for April, CNBC reported.
The S&P 500 composite index plummeted 0.87 percent with energy shares as the biggest decliner on a decline in U.S. oil futures by 2.52 percent to $43.65 a barrel.
Top GovCon Index Net Gainers
| Symbol | Company | $ Current Price | Net Change –´ | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMT | Lockheed Martin* | 234.70 | +1.46 | +0.63% |
| NOC | Northrop Grumman* | 209.60 | +1.29 | +0.62% |
| GD | General Dynamics* | 142.34 | +0.51 | +0.36% |
| LLL | L-3 Communications* | 134.00 | +0.46 | +0.34% |
| OA | Orbital ATK | 87.48 | +0.37 | +0.42% |
* Also listed in the S&P 500 composite index
Top GovCon Index Percentage Gainers
| Symbol | Company | $ Current Price | Net Change | % Change –´ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMT | Lockheed Martin* | 234.70 | +1.46 | +0.63% |
| NOC | Northrop Grumman* | 209.60 | +1.29 | +0.62% |
| OA | Orbital ATK | 87.48 | +0.37 | +0.42% |
| GD | General Dynamics* | 142.34 | +0.51 | +0.36% |
| LLL | L-3 Communications* | 134.00 | +0.46 | +0.34% |
Market Summary
| Advancing GovCon Index Issues | 6 |
| Declining GovCon Index Issues | 23 |
| Unchanged GovCon Index Issues | 1 |
| Index | Value | Net Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| GovCon Index | 76.365 | -0.489 | -0.636% |
| S&P 500 | 2, 063.37 | -18.06 | -0.87% |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 17, 750.91 | -140.25 | -0.78% |
| NASDAQ | 4, 763.22 | -54.37 | -1.13% |
