Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Lowers Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC trimmed its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 68.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,859 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 48,479 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $12,802,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $137,280,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 221,431 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 7,202.7% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 167,232 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $95,357,000 after acquiring an additional 164,942 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 41.2% during the third quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 443,465 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $270,212,000 after acquiring an additional 129,352 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,531,586 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,245,066,000 after acquiring an additional 109,941 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $703.88 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $709.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $631.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $450.13 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The company has a market cap of $99.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.16, a PEG ratio of 5.21 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, topping the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.39 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total value of $107,748.06. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,850,774.50. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total transaction of $65,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. This trade represents a 2.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $765.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $708.65.

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.