Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Receives $688.79 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $693.60.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $752.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:NOC opened at $679.37 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $620.83 and a 200 day moving average of $597.31. Northrop Grumman has a 52 week low of $426.24 and a 52 week high of $715.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.32, a PEG ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 0.04. 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.Northrop Grumman’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.72%.

Northrop Grumman News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:

• Positive Sentiment: NOC and Poland’s Niewiadow‑PGM plan to produce more than 180,000 155mm artillery shells per year in Poland — a potential multi-year manufacturing win that expands European production capacity and could add stable, defense-driven revenue/backlog. Northrop Grumman and Polish arms maker aim to produce more than 180,000 artillery shells a year in Poland
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $2.31 per share (payable Mar 11; ex‑div Feb 23), reinforcing capital return policy and supporting income‑oriented investors. Northrop Grumman Board Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kathy Warden will present at Citi’s Global Industrial Tech & Mobility Conference (Feb 18, webcast available). The event gives management a platform to articulate strategy and update investors, but forward‑looking remarks can both clarify and introduce volatility. Northrop Grumman to Participate in Citi’s 2026 Global Industrial Tech and Mobility Conference
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/commentary pieces flagged valuation and guidance risk: NOC beat Q4 earnings but provided guidance the market reads as conservative, and some writeups argue the stock is trading at a high multiple of free cash flow (~30x) for low‑to‑mid single‑digit sales growth — a catalyst for multiple compression. Is Northrop Grumman Stock a 2026 Buy After Its 2025 Earnings Beat?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO Kathy Warden sold 20,000 shares (filed as a Feb 6 trade at ~ $708.82). Large executive sales can be interpreted negatively even when for personal reasons, and may amplify short‑term pressure on the stock. Insider Selling: Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) CEO Sells 20,000 Shares of Stock

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total transaction of $65,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at $2,877,037.56. This represents a 2.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total value of $14,176,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 30,192 shares of company stock worth $20,341,145 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Focused Investors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,054,000 after acquiring an additional 8,300 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 29.4% during the second quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $924,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 74.5% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,739,000 after purchasing an additional 4,721 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $1,015,000. Finally, Huntleigh Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth about $2,818,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

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.