Citigroup Has Lowered Expectations for Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Stock Price

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its price objective decreased by research analysts at Citigroup from $807.00 to $742.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Citigroup’s price target suggests a potential upside of 26.81% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on NOC. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Vertical Research restated a “hold” rating and issued a $688.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Bank of America raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $713.37.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC stock traded down $4.48 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $585.14. 476,651 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 938,396. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $704.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $638.91. Northrop Grumman has a 12 month low of $453.01 and a 12 month high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.06 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman will post 27.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total value of $14,176,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at $121,634,929.64. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. This represents a 2.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 22,431 shares of company stock worth $15,924,404. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 200.0% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Northrop Grumman News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on sales ($9.88B) and adjusted EPS ($6.14) with strong missile and aeronautics demand and a large backlog that supports multi‑year visibility; this underpins the bullish long‑term thesis. NOC Q1 Deep Dive
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst notes and buy ratings persist: BTIG reaffirmed a Buy with an $815 PT, and several analysts maintain above‑market targets, highlighting upside if margin recovery and program ramps progress. BTIG Reaffirm Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Independent bullish take arguing NOC is materially below intrinsic value after the pullback and upgraded to “Strong Buy,” emphasizing long‑term program wins (nuclear triad, B‑21, missile systems) as catalysts. Nuclear Triad Winner Strong Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reaffirmed 2026 sales guidance ($43.5B–$44B) but labeled 2026 a “ramp” year; investors will watch margin recovery timing and B‑21 production cadence. Reaffirms 2026 Outlook, Lifts Capex
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC and other research pieces note NOC remains well‑positioned across strategic programs; this supports medium/long‑term demand but is less decisive for near‑term price action. RBC: Remains Well‑Positioned
• Negative Sentiment: Investors punished the stock after the quarter because Northrop did not raise full‑year guidance and increased 2026 capex (B‑21 ramp to $1.85B), raising near‑term cash and execution concerns. Shares Slip as Outlook Matches Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst moves include Jefferies and Bernstein issuing Holds and Morgan Stanley cutting its price target (from $765 to $745) despite an Overweight rating — signaling some caution on near‑term upside. Jefferies Hold Bernstein Hold Morgan Stanley PT Cut

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.