Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $676.2857.

NOC has been the topic of several research reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $815.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $620.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the 4th 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 raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after buying an additional 1,978 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,487.8% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 16,338 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,169,000 after buying an additional 15,309 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 6.7% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,865 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,432,000 after buying an additional 553 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Northrop Grumman News

Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman broke ground on a new Utah facility tied to the Sentinel ICBM program and other advanced aerospace missions, reinforcing long-term defense spending demand and signaling continued investment in growth. Northrop Grumman Breaks Ground on New Facility to Support Strategic Deterrence and Advanced Aerospace Missions in Utah
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Northrop Grumman as a potential earnings beat ahead of its quarterly report, with expectations that the company has the right mix of factors to top estimates. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates: What to Know Ahead of Q2 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley included Northrop Grumman in its top defense stock picks, suggesting institutional confidence in the name even as it highlighted broader upside in the sector. Morgan Stanley Picks Its Top Three Defense Stocks. One Has 100% Upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: Other articles reinforced the idea that defense contractors can benefit from long-term space and missile-defense spending, which supports the sector backdrop for NOC. Missed Out On The SpaceX IPO? Buy These Industrial Giants Instead.
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also coverage about BAE Systems expanding in radar, which highlights competitive activity in adjacent defense markets but does not directly change Northrop Grumman’s near-term outlook. Is BAE Systems Expanding Its Presence in the Radar Market?
• Negative Sentiment: At the same time, analysts trimmed Northrop Grumman’s fair value estimate and lowered price targets, pointing to more cautious expectations for near-term execution and upside. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Stock Fair Value Edges Lower As Analysts Trim Targets

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NOC opened at $525.96 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman has a 52 week low of $493.84 and a 52 week high of $774.00. The firm has a market cap of $74.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of -0.10. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $539.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $624.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.15.

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

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a $2.47 dividend. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

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.