MBL Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC – Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,087 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $525,000.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $6,001,616,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,298,141,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at about $376,135,000. Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth about $44,039,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth about $194,058,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Northrop Grumman News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets remain supportive. Robert W. Baird upgraded NOC from “hold” to “outperform” and raised its price target to $675 from $550, implying substantial upside. BNP Paribas Exane also expects the stock to appreciate, while Guggenheim initiated or reiterated a “buy” rating. Baird upgrade BNP Paribas Exane outlook Guggenheim buy rating
- Positive Sentiment: Backlog and margins are key bullish themes. A review of third-quarter results highlighted a $109.6 billion backlog and signs of a potential margin inflection, supporting longer-term revenue visibility and earnings growth. Northrop Grumman Q3 backlog analysis
- Positive Sentiment: Recent results exceeded expectations. NOC reported quarterly EPS of $7.89 versus the $7.18 consensus estimate, with revenue up 6.7% year over year. Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $29.35–$29.75 is also above consensus, reinforcing the earnings-growth case.
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion is mixed. RBC Capital assigned a “hold” rating even as a separate RBC forecast pointed to strong potential appreciation. This divergence may encourage investors to take profits following the recent rally. RBC hold rating
- Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains a risk. Commentary on NOC and other defense contractors noted that strong backlogs and guidance improvements are accompanied by margin pressures and paused buybacks, which could weigh on near-term valuation.
Insider Activity
In related news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,405,299.29. This trade represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.2%
Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $551.38 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $521.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $547.94. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a twelve month low of $470.06 and a twelve month high of $774.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $78.33 billion, a PE ratio of 17.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of -0.11.
Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The aerospace company reported $7.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.18 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $11.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.14 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 23.46%. The company’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.67 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 29.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were paid a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 31.17%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
NOC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $675.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $556.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $590.00 to $540.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $612.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $419.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $641.83.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on NOC
Northrop Grumman Profile
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and produces systems for government and commercial customers, with the U.S. government representing its primary customer base. The company operates across aerospace, defense, space, cybersecurity and advanced technology markets.
Its products and services include military aircraft and autonomous systems, space systems and satellites, missile defense technologies, command-and-control systems, cyber solutions, sensors, communications networks and other mission-critical systems.
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