Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Bought by Erste Asset Management GmbH

Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 729.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,759 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,191,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Focused Investors LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.1% during the third quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,054,000 after purchasing an additional 8,300 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 74.5% in the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,739,000 after purchasing an additional 4,721 shares during the last quarter. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth approximately $2,818,000. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth approximately $1,015,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $491,985,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 2.1%

NOC opened at $725.81 on Monday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $450.13 and a 52 week high of $745.55. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $657.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $608.68. 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 company has a market cap of $103.01 billion, a PE ratio of 24.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.03.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.39 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on NOC shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $765.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price objective (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $693.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total transaction of $14,176,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $121,634,929.64. This represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total transaction of $1,575,226.29. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $108,661.11. The trade was a 93.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% 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.