Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 16.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,878 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,197 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,581,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,421,645 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,710,554,000 after acquiring an additional 155,344 shares during the period. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,457,274,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,115,519 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,554,299,000 after buying an additional 14,980 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,933,061 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,466,472,000 after buying an additional 308,680 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 26.7% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,051,226 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $640,534,000 after buying an additional 221,431 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total value of $65,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. The trade was a 2.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.00, for a total transaction of $1,845,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 191,602 shares in the company, valued at $117,835,230. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,192 shares of company stock valued at $6,164,745. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $623.00 price objective (down previously from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $688.79.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 1.9%

NOC stock opened at $709.77 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $612.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $595.00. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $426.24 and a 12 month high of $711.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.73 billion, a PE ratio of 24.37, a P/E/G ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 0.04.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

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

Northrop Grumman Company 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.