Royal Fund Management LLC Makes New $1.55 Million Investment in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Royal Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 3,209 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,551,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Perkins Coie Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $533.00 to $538.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $745.00 to $765.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $612.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 26th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $641.83.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.2%

Northrop Grumman stock traded down $0.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $551.38. 818,788 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,112,484. The company’s 50-day moving average is $521.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $547.94. The firm has a market cap of $78.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.39, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of -0.11. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $470.06 and a 52-week high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.23.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The aerospace company reported $7.89 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.14 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 29.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st were paid a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 31.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total transaction of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,405,299.29. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

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.

About Northrop Grumman

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.