Aberdeen Group plc Cuts Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Aberdeen Group plc lowered its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 9.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 12,153 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $7,219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Focused Investors LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 74.5% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,739,000 after acquiring an additional 4,721 shares during the last quarter. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,818,000. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,015,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth $491,985,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total value of $107,748.06. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,850,774.50. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total value of $14,176,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at $121,634,929.64. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 32,528 shares of company stock worth $22,024,120 over the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC opened at $722.73 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $437.83 and a 1 year high of $745.55. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $642.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $603.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $102.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.81, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.04.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the subject of several recent research reports. BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $693.60.

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.