Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Assetmark Inc.

Assetmark Inc. lessened its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 29.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,799 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 8,720 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $14,190,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $7,835,097,000 after buying an additional 209,135 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 39.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,958,151,000 after buying an additional 970,029 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,149,478 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,793,478,000 after acquiring an additional 17,948 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,125,139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,781,986,000 after acquiring an additional 128,855 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,666,517 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $950,265,000 after acquiring an additional 62,817 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $523.19 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $538.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $624.13. The stock has a market cap of $74.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of -0.10. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $493.84 and a 1 year high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.06 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 30.92%.

Northrop Grumman News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Defense stocks are benefiting from a broader sector rally as investors respond to expectations for stronger U.S. military spending, including a proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget backdrop. Northrop Grumman rises as defense-spending tailwinds and program momentum lift sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is building ahead of Northrop Grumman’s July 21 Q2 results, with a strong backlog and government contract momentum expected to support the quarter. Northrop Grumman to Post Q2 Earnings: Here’s What to Expect
• Positive Sentiment: Recent program news, including work tied to Sentinel infrastructure, is reinforcing the long-term growth story for strategic deterrence and aerospace missions. Northrop Grumman Planning To Add Hundreds Of Jobs For Sentinel
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains mixed-to-positive, with recent coverage focused on key earnings metrics and margin sensitivity, especially around the Sentinel program.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider trading data shows no open-market insider buying in the last six months, while several executives have sold shares, which may temper some enthusiasm.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on NOC shares. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $815.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $580.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $745.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $620.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $676.29.

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.