Edgestream Partners L.P. decreased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC – Free Report) by 73.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 581 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,646 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $396,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,958,151,000 after purchasing an additional 970,029 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 56,920.9% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 421,955 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $240,603,000 after buying an additional 421,215 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 272.8% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 401,664 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $229,033,000 after buying an additional 293,909 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,835,097,000 after buying an additional 209,135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1,086.5% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 192,583 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $109,813,000 after buying an additional 176,352 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $620.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $500.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $653.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $628.00 to $587.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $655.30.
Northrop Grumman Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $556.94 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $534.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $618.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.17. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $479.02 and a 52 week high of $774.00. The firm has a market cap of $79.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.57 and a beta of -0.11.
Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $10.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 10.48%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $8.15 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a $2.47 dividend. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 31.39%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman
In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.
Northrop Grumman News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman secured multi-year framework agreements worth more than $3 billion to accelerate production of components for PAC-3 MSE and THAAD missile-defense systems. The deals improve revenue visibility and position NOC to benefit from rising U.S. and allied demand for interceptor replenishment. Northrop Grumman Lands Over $3 Billion in Missile Defense Deals
- Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Defense Department selected Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to help expand Patriot and THAAD production. The government-backed effort reinforces NOC’s strategic role in missile defense and could generate additional orders as the U.S. rebuilds weapon inventories. Lockheed, Northrop Team Up to Rebuild Weapon Stockpile
- Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman is planning lunar infrastructure demonstration missions for NASA’s future moon-base effort. Although the opportunity is longer term, it highlights potential growth in the company’s space and national-security businesses. Northrop Grumman Plans Lunar Infrastructure Demonstration Missions for NASA Moon Base
- Neutral Sentiment: Northrop appointed former Chevron investor-relations executive Randy Sinclair to lead investor relations. The leadership change may improve communication with shareholders, but no immediate financial impact was disclosed. Northrop Names Randy Sinclair to Lead Investor Relations
- Neutral Sentiment: Director Mark Welsh III sold 95 shares for approximately $52,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The small sale reduces his holdings by 2.12% but is unlikely to materially alter investor sentiment.
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.
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