Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Stake Reduced by Stokes Capital Advisors LLC

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 16.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,496 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 2,001 shares during the quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $5,075,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,169,195 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,707,203,000 after acquiring an additional 168,267 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at $6,001,616,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,298,141,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 960,690 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $655,373,000 after purchasing an additional 5,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 2.2% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 747,121 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $380,516,000 after purchasing an additional 16,195 shares during the period. 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 integrated SRC’s Gryphon R1810 long-range radar into its Raid Hunter air-defense system. The upgrade is designed to improve detection and precision against multiple airborne targets, including drone swarms, potentially strengthening the company’s positioning in counter-drone and infrastructure-protection markets. Northrop Grumman Upgraded Raid Hunter With New Long Range Radar
• Positive Sentiment: Citi maintained its Buy rating on NOC, signaling that the bank continues to see value in Northrop’s defense portfolio and long-term prospects. Citi Remains a Buy on Northrop Grumman
• Positive Sentiment: Recent investment commentary highlights Northrop’s record backlog, raised guidance and dividend appeal after a significant year-to-date decline. Its latest quarterly results also exceeded earnings expectations, while full-year 2026 EPS guidance remains strong at $28.60–$29.10. As War Fades Away, It’s Time to Buy Defense Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor comparisons of Northrop Grumman and L3Harris focus on their dividends, backlogs and potential risks, but do not provide a new company-specific catalyst or material financial update. LHX vs. NOC: Which Defense Dividend Will Actually Protect Your Retirement?
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage with an Underweight rating, adding to concerns about valuation, execution or near-term upside. Barclays Initiates Coverage at Underweight
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen lowered its price target from $590 to $540 and assigned a Hold rating. Although the revised target implies potential upside from the recent trading level, the cut signals reduced expectations and may pressure the stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on NOC shares. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $640.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $590.00 to $540.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $785.00 to $655.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday. They set an “underweight” rating and a $419.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $653.00 to $620.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $644.70.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.7%

NOC opened at $480.95 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $531.46 and a 200-day moving average of $559.90. The company has a market capitalization of $68.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of -0.11. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $470.06 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The business had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.15 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were issued a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and produces systems for government and commercial customers, with the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies representing its primary markets. Its work spans advanced aircraft, autonomous systems, space systems, missile defense, command and control, cybersecurity, and other mission-critical technologies.

The company’s offerings include strategic and tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft systems, satellites, spacecraft, launch vehicles, missile-warning and missile-defense systems, secure communications, and cyber and information systems.