Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Acquired by Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 150.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,251 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,353 shares during the quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,371,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,531,586 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,245,066,000 after buying an additional 109,941 shares during the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth approximately $6,457,274,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,996,284 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,825,696,000 after buying an additional 63,223 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,624,658 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $990,046,000 after buying an additional 4,844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 26.7% in the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 221,431 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $736.26 on Tuesday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $450.13 and a 1 year high of $774.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $694.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $620.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.28, a P/E/G ratio of 5.45 and a beta of 0.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion during 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%.The company’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. 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 31.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $623.00 target price (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Bank of America increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $693.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total value of $65,029.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. This trade represents 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, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total value of $1,575,226.29. Following the sale, the vice president owned 151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $108,661.11. The trade was a 93.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.