Key Points
- Director Mark Welsh III sold 95 Northrop Grumman shares for approximately $52,000, reducing his stake by 2.12%. The transaction occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
- Northrop Grumman exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $7.68 in EPS versus the $6.82 consensus and $10.88 billion in revenue. The company raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share, representing a 1.8% yield.
- The company entered multi-year agreements worth more than $3 billion to accelerate missile-interceptor production, strengthening demand visibility for its missile-defense business. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $659.
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) Director Mark Welsh III sold 95 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total transaction of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Northrop Grumman Price Performance
NYSE:NOC opened at $551.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $78.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of -0.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company's 50-day moving average is $534.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $618.70. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $479.02 and a 12-month high of $774.00.
Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $10.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.80 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.15 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. Research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS for the current year.
Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $2.47 per share. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.39%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman
A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 353 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 4,012 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,288,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 1,337 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Portfolios Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Portfolios Inc. now owns 1,789 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,020,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Northrop Grumman
Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman entered into multi-year framework agreements valued at more than $3 billion to accelerate production of missile-interceptor components for PAC-3 MSE and THAAD systems. The agreements should improve production visibility and support demand from the United States and allied defense customers. Northrop Grumman Enters Into $3 Billion Landmark Agreements to Accelerate Missile Interceptor Production
- Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Defense Department selected Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to expand missile-interceptor production capacity. The government-backed effort reinforces the strategic importance of Northrop’s missile-defense business and could lead to additional orders as the U.S. replenishes weapon inventories. US signs deal to boost production of missile-interceptor parts
- Neutral Sentiment: Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares for approximately $52,000, reducing his holdings by 2.12%. Because the transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and represents a small portion of his remaining ownership, it is less significant as a bearish signal.
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts collectively maintain a “Moderate Buy” recommendation on NOC, indicating generally favorable sentiment but not a strong consensus upgrade. Northrop Grumman Corporation Receives Average Recommendation of Moderate Buy from Analysts
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Susquehanna cut their price target on Northrop Grumman from $785.00 to $655.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $628.00 to $587.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $620.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $815.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Northrop Grumman from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $659.00.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Northrop Grumman
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.
Featured Stories
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
