Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 33,325 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,825,250 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 33,325 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 1.28% of Northrop Grumman worth $1,112,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,421,645 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,710,554,000 after buying an additional 155,344 shares in the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,457,274,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,115,519 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,554,299,000 after acquiring an additional 14,980 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 11.8% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,933,061 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,466,472,000 after acquiring an additional 308,680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $491,985,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total transaction of $4,200,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 194,602 shares in the company, valued at $116,761,200. This trade represents a 3.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total value of $54,715.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,414,826.48. This represents a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,097 shares of company stock worth $6,099,716. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 target price (down previously from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 9th. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $752.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday. BTIG Research increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $680.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $700.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $656.82.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE NOC opened at $667.02 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $95.20 billion, a PE ratio of 23.99, a PEG ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.05. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $426.24 and a 12 month high of $669.68. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $577.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $577.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.43 by $1.24. The company had revenue of $10.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.68 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 25.49%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.00 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.650-26.050 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 33.24%.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

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.