Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $705.50 and last traded at $703.8750, with a volume of 531298 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $685.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $727.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, January 12th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price objective (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $688.79.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $100.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.21, a P/E/G ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 0.04. The company’s 50 day moving average is $601.97 and its 200 day moving average is $590.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.00, for a total value of $1,845,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 191,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $117,835,230. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total value of $65,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,877,037.56. This represents a 2.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,192 shares of company stock worth $6,164,745. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 10.2% during the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 19,674 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $9,837,000 after buying an additional 1,824 shares during the period. Finally, Clarius Group LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 25.0% during the second quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 1,670 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $835,000 after buying an additional 334 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is a leading U.S.-based aerospace and defense company that designs, builds and sustains advanced systems, products and technologies for government and commercial customers. Formed through the combination of Northrop and Grumman businesses in the 1990s, the company’s portfolio spans manned and unmanned aircraft, space systems, missile defense, radar and sensor systems, and integrated command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) solutions.

The company’s work includes airframe and platform manufacturing, space hardware and satellite systems, advanced mission systems and cybersecurity services, as well as logistics, sustainment and modernization programs.