Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Cercano Management LLC

Cercano Management LLC lowered its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 68.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,568 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 22,552 shares during the quarter. Cercano Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 75.0% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:NOC opened at $699.45 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $99.27 billion, a PE ratio of 24.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 0.04. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $426.24 and a 52-week high of $715.61. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $632.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $600.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.39 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total value of $54,715.76. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total transaction of $14,176,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 30,192 shares of company stock worth $20,341,145 over the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Citigroup boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Argus set a $785.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $693.60.

Northrop Grumman Profile

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.