United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Takes Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 8,046 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,098,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 380.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $615.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird set a $500.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $666.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $653.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $661.30.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $545.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $77.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of -0.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $542.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $604.78. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $479.02 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The firm had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.15 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 31.39%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman 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.