Key Points
- CEO Kathy Warden sold 3,000 NOC shares on Jan. 6 at an average price of $615 for $1.845 million, trimming her stake to 191,602 shares (a 1.54% reduction).
- Shares were under pressure (trade reported down ~5.7%) as investors reacted to policy risk from President Trump’s order limiting buybacks/dividends for defense firms and the timing of the CEO’s trades.
- Fundamentals remain solid: Northrop beat Q results on EPS ($7.67 vs. $6.43), set FY2025 guidance of 25.650–26.050 EPS, pays a $2.31 quarterly dividend (1.6% yield), and carries an average analyst target near $651 with mostly Buy ratings.
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) CEO Kathy Warden sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.00, for a total transaction of $1,845,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 191,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $117,835,230. The trade was a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.
Northrop Grumman Trading Down 5.7%
NOC opened at $575.95 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a one year low of $426.24 and a one year high of $640.90. The business's 50 day moving average price is $569.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $570.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.72, a P/E/G ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.11.
Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.43 by $1.24. The business had revenue of $10.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.68 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.49% and a net margin of 9.82%.The company's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.00 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.650-26.050 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.
Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.24%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman to $770.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $700.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $710.00 target price for the company. Finally, BTIG Research increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $680.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $651.18.
Read Our Latest Research Report on Northrop Grumman
Key Headlines Impacting Northrop Grumman
Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:
Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 75.0% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Northrop Grumman
(
Get Free Report)
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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