Northrop Grumman Just Might Be the Best Space Stock to Buy

Easy come, easy go -- that's how one might describe Wall Street's reaction to Northrop Grumman's (NYSE: NOC) first-quarter earnings report. Upon first consideration, investors reacted positively to Northrop's beating analyst consensus earnings on both the top and bottom lines. Things quickly took a turn for the worse, however, and by the time markets closed for the week last Friday, Northrop had given up all its gains and was actually trading below what it cost before earnings came out: $446.81.