Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Price Target Raised to $750.00

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its price objective upped by Bank of America from $685.00 to $750.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

NOC has been the topic of several other reports. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $752.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 target price (down previously from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $727.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $688.72.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $692.54 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $599.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $588.40. Northrop Grumman has a fifty-two week low of $426.24 and a fifty-two week high of $705.45. The company has a market cap of $98.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.77, a P/E/G ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 0.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.10.

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 net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 31.72%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total transaction of $54,715.76. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total transaction of $4,200,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 194,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $116,761,200. This represents a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 10,097 shares of company stock worth $6,099,716 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 367.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 1,978 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 27.4% during the 2nd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 605 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GC Wealth Management RIA LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $496,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.