Gradient Investments LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Gradient Investments LLC decreased its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 98.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 521 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 25,511 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $297,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Howard Financial Services LTD. grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 1,127 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $687,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. West Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. West Wealth Group LLC now owns 412 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $251,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.9% during the third quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 278 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.3% during the third quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 1,375 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $838,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.9% in the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,067 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,259,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total transaction of $1,575,226.29. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 151 shares in the company, valued at $108,661.11. The trade was a 93.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,850,774.50. The trade was a 5.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 32,431 shares of company stock valued at $21,969,404. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $623.00 price objective (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $693.60.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC opened at $681.67 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $705.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $625.92. The firm has a market cap of $96.74 billion, a PE ratio of 23.40, a P/E/G ratio of 5.05 and a beta of 0.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1-year low of $450.13 and a 1-year high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly 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. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The firm had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.39 EPS. The company’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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.72%.

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.