Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Cibc World Market Inc.

Cibc World Market Inc. cut its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 29.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,208 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 943 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,345,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Focused Investors LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the third quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $129,054,000 after purchasing an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 74.5% in the 3rd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,739,000 after buying an additional 4,721 shares during the period. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,818,000. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,015,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $491,985,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:NOC opened at $702.20 on Tuesday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $426.24 and a 52-week high of $715.61. The company has a market capitalization of $99.66 billion, a PE ratio of 24.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $629.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $600.16.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $0.26. The business 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%. The company’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.39 EPS. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NOC. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $623.00 price target (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Alembic Global Advisors raised Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, December 15th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $765.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $693.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total transaction of $14,176,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 171,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. This represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,281 shares in the company, valued at $2,414,826.48. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 30,192 shares of company stock valued at $20,341,145 over the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.