Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 29.350-29.750 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 28.970. The company issued revenue guidance of $43.8 billion-$44.3 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $44.0 billion.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on NOC shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $694.00 to $698.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $612.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $675.00 target price on Northrop Grumman and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $641.35.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 1.0%

NOC stock traded up $5.46 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $539.46. 1,186,398 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 928,180. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $523.03 and its 200 day moving average is $550.14. Northrop Grumman has a twelve month low of $470.06 and a twelve 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. The firm has a market cap of $76.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of -0.11.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The aerospace company reported $7.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.18 by $0.71. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 10.48%. The business had revenue of $11.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman will post 28.99 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a dividend of $2.47 per share. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.39%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,405,299.29. This trade represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Northrop Grumman News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat expectations. Northrop reported adjusted earnings of $7.89 per share, above the approximately $7.18–$7.22 consensus, while revenue rose 6.7% year over year to $11.12 billion and was broadly in line with estimates. Northrop Grumman Q3 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Northrop raised its FY 2026 outlook. The company now expects adjusted EPS of $29.35–$29.75, above the roughly $28.97 consensus, while revenue guidance of $43.8 billion–$44.3 billion remains near expectations. Reuters Northrop Grumman outlook article
• Positive Sentiment: Record backlog supports future revenue. Backlog reached approximately $109.6 billion to $110 billion, up about 20% year over year, with third-quarter awards of $16.4 billion. Management also targets 5%–7% sales growth in 2027, supported by B-21 investments and strong defense and space demand. Northrop Grumman backlog and guidance article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts became more constructive. BNP Paribas Exane raised its price target to $600 and maintained an Outperform rating, while Baird reportedly lifted its target to $675 and upgraded the shares to Outperform. Analyst estimates for Northrop Grumman
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock remains about 17% below its year-to-date starting level, which has prompted investors to consider whether the pullback represents a discounted entry point for dividend and defense exposure. Northrop Grumman dividend valuation article
• Negative Sentiment: Higher capital spending, potential margin pressure and paused buybacks could limit near-term shareholder returns. Investors also face political and budget uncertainty surrounding defense programs, while reported insider activity has consisted of sales rather than purchases.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and produces systems for government and commercial customers, with the U.S. government representing its primary customer base. The company operates across aerospace, defense, space, cybersecurity and advanced technology markets.

Its products and services include military aircraft and autonomous systems, space systems and satellites, missile defense technologies, command-and-control systems, cyber solutions, sensors, communications networks and other mission-critical systems.