Canoe Financial LP Lowers Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Canoe Financial LP lowered its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 33.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 52,222 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 26,042 shares during the period. Canoe Financial LP’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $29,778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,010,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the period. Acropolis Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $577,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. First County Bank CT grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. First County Bank CT now owns 992 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $566,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 3,935 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,244,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,668 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $951,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NOC. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $727.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $765.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price target (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, BTIG Research increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $693.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,850,774.50. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 151 shares in the company, valued at $108,661.11. This trade represents a 93.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,431 shares of company stock valued at $21,969,404. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NOC stock opened at $679.10 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $450.13 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $707.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $627.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.31, a PEG ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.03.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results 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 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 quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.39 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Key Headlines Impacting Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Won a $127 million Navy contract to supply supersonic targets — a near-term revenue and backlog boost that reinforces defense spending tailwinds for NOC. Northrop Grumman wins $127 million Navy contract for supersonic targets
• Positive Sentiment: NASA is shifting significant funding toward lunar exploration and has handed major roles to contractors — Northrop is supplying rockets, landers, rovers and power systems, positioning it to capture multi‑billion program spending. Northrop Grumman Moves Closer To Center Of U.S. Lunar Push
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights that the U.S. is directing roughly $20B into lunar efforts to outpace China — another macro tailwind for Northrop’s space business and long‑term revenue visibility. America is About to Spend $20B to Beat China to the Moon
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/AI progress: Talon IQ testbed completed its first partner mission autonomy flight, supporting Northrop’s push into autonomous systems and command/control capabilities that have higher margin potential. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Advances Autonomous Flight Capabilities With Talon IQ
• Positive Sentiment: Retail/media lift: Jim Cramer mentioned NOC as a potential buy, which can drive short-term retail interest and volatility. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Stock Up After Jim Cramer Said It Could Be Bought
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings: Analysts expect only marginal EPS growth for the next quarter — results and guidance will be a near-term catalyst. What You Need To Know Ahead of Northrop Grumman’s Earnings Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Defense ecosystem moves (Golden Dome/AI projects and competitors winning Navy work) reshape opportunity sets but are not immediate positives or negatives for NOC — they affect long-term program mix and partner dynamics. Did Golden Dome, AI Autonomy Advances Just Shift Northrop Grumman’s (NOC) Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitor wins (e.g., General Dynamics’ Navy support contract) highlight strong defense demand but also competition for program dollars. General Dynamics’ Arm Wins a Navy Deal for Submarine Support
• Negative Sentiment: Critical coverage lists valuation and other risks — with a recent share run and high PEG, some investors may trim positions, pressuring the stock in the near term. 3 Reasons NOC is Risky and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

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.