Key Points
- CAO Michael Hardesty sold 147 shares of Northrop Grumman on Feb. 19 at an average price of $732.98 for $107,748, reducing his stake by 5.5% to 2,525 shares valued at about $1.85M.
- Strong quarterly results and guidance: Northrop Grumman reported Q4 EPS of $7.23 (beat), revenue of $11.71B (+9.6% YoY) and set FY2026 guidance of $27.40–$27.90 EPS, while analysts maintain a generally positive stance with an average price target around $693.60.
- Dividend announced: the company declared a $2.31 quarterly dividend (annualized $9.24) payable Mar. 11 with an ex-dividend date of Feb. 23, implying a ~1.3% yield and a payout ratio near 31.7%.
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) CAO Michael Hardesty sold 147 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,850,774.50. The trade was a 5.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.9%
Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $722.73 on Friday. 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 Corporation has a 52-week low of $437.83 and a 52-week high of $745.55. The firm has a market cap of $102.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.04. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $642.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $603.67.
Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The company had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman's revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS 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 given a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.72%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
NOC has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $765.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $623.00 target price (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $693.60.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on NOC
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman
Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $7,835,097,000 after purchasing an additional 209,135 shares during the period. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth about $6,457,274,000. Capital World Investors lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 39.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,958,151,000 after purchasing an additional 970,029 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,149,478 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,793,478,000 after purchasing an additional 17,948 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,125,139 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,781,986,000 after buying an additional 128,855 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.
Northrop Grumman Company Profile
(
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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