Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Reduces Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lowered its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 11.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 3,900 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $20,223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $541.84 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $540.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $625.71. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $493.84 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 3.65 and a beta of -0.10.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.The firm had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.06 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $2.47 per share. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $580.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Citigroup reduced their price target on Northrop Grumman from $628.00 to $587.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $815.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $620.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $683.45.

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.