Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Price Target Raised to $781.00

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its price target boosted by Citigroup from $715.00 to $781.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

NOC has been the subject of several other reports. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $623.00 price target (down previously from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 9th. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, Vertical Research restated a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $688.72.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.4%

NOC opened at $692.54 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $599.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $588.40. Northrop Grumman has a 1-year low of $426.24 and a 1-year high of $705.45. The company has a market cap of $98.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 0.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

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. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The business had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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. Analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.00, for a total value of $1,845,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 191,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $117,835,230. The trade was a 1.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 4,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. The trade was a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,097 shares of company stock valued at $6,099,716. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Focused Investors LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,054,000 after purchasing an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 29.4% in the second quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $924,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position 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 valued at $6,739,000 after acquiring an additional 4,721 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at about $1,015,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth about $491,985,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% 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.