Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $641.91 According to Analysts

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $641.83.

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $617.00 to $667.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $533.00 to $538.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $745.00 to $765.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $694.00 to $698.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

More Northrop Grumman News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets remain supportive. Robert W. Baird upgraded NOC from “hold” to “outperform” and raised its price target to $675 from $550, implying substantial upside. BNP Paribas Exane also expects the stock to appreciate, while Guggenheim initiated or reiterated a “buy” rating. Baird upgrade BNP Paribas Exane outlook Guggenheim buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Backlog and margins are key bullish themes. A review of third-quarter results highlighted a $109.6 billion backlog and signs of a potential margin inflection, supporting longer-term revenue visibility and earnings growth. Northrop Grumman Q3 backlog analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Recent results exceeded expectations. NOC reported quarterly EPS of $7.89 versus the $7.18 consensus estimate, with revenue up 6.7% year over year. Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $29.35–$29.75 is also above consensus, reinforcing the earnings-growth case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion is mixed. RBC Capital assigned a “hold” rating even as a separate RBC forecast pointed to strong potential appreciation. This divergence may encourage investors to take profits following the recent rally. RBC hold rating
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains a risk. Commentary on NOC and other defense contractors noted that strong backlogs and guidance improvements are accompanied by margin pressures and paused buybacks, which could weigh on near-term valuation.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $551.38 on Friday. Northrop Grumman has a twelve month low of $470.06 and a twelve month high of $774.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $521.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $547.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of -0.11.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The aerospace company reported $7.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.18 by $0.71. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 23.46%. The business had revenue of $11.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 29.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 31.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total transaction of $52,015.35. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,169,195 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,707,203,000 after acquiring an additional 168,267 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,001,616,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth approximately $1,298,141,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 960,690 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $655,373,000 after buying an additional 5,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 11.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 587,121 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $400,557,000 after buying an additional 58,690 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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. government representing its primary customer base. The company operates across aerospace, defense, space, cybersecurity and advanced technology markets.

Its products and services include military aircraft and autonomous systems, space systems and satellites, missile defense technologies, command-and-control systems, cyber solutions, sensors, communications networks and other mission-critical systems.