Wealthfront Advisers LLC Raises Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 5.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,903 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,211 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $15,625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $7,835,097,000 after buying an additional 209,135 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings 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 worth $1,958,151,000 after buying an additional 970,029 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted 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 valued at $1,793,478,000 after acquiring an additional 17,948 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,125,139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,781,986,000 after acquiring an additional 128,855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,666,517 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $950,265,000 after acquiring an additional 62,817 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Northrop Grumman

Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to highlight Northrop Grumman’s strong defense backlog and long-term demand outlook, which supports revenue visibility and could help offset near-term volatility. Northrop Grumman to Post Q2 Earnings: Here’s What to Expect
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly named Northrop Grumman one of its top defense stocks, reinforcing the view that the company remains a favored name in the sector. Morgan Stanley Picks Its Top Three Defense Stocks. One Has 100% Upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple preview pieces are focusing on key Q2 operating metrics, suggesting the stock may react to details on execution, cash flow, and contract performance rather than just headline EPS and revenue. Wall Street’s Insights Into Key Metrics Ahead of Northrop Grumman (NOC) Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Northrop’s Sentinel program remains a key watch item, with investors waiting to see whether job expansion and program updates point to stronger execution or added cost pressure. Northrop Grumman Planning To Add Hundreds Of Jobs For Sentinel
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts have trimmed price targets and lowered fair value estimates, signaling more caution about near-term upside and execution risk. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Stock Fair Value Edges Lower As Analysts Trim Targets

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.3%

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $518.19 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $538.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $624.52. The company has a market cap of $73.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of -0.10. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $493.84 and a 52-week high of $774.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.06 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.95 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 issued a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $620.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $603.00 to $533.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $676.29.

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.