Michael Hardesty Sells 147 Shares of Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Stock

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) CAO Michael Hardesty sold 147 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $1,850,774.50. The trade was a 5.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of 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. The stock has a market cap of $102.57 billion, a PE ratio of 24.81, a PEG ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 0.04. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $437.83 and a 12-month high of $745.55. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $642.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $603.76.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The company had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.39 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly 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. Analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price objective (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 9th. BTIG Research raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $693.60.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $7,835,097,000 after buying an additional 209,135 shares during the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth about $6,457,274,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,958,151,000 after acquiring an additional 970,029 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,125,139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,781,986,000 after purchasing an additional 128,855 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

About Northrop Grumman

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.