Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Purchased by Provident Investment Management Inc.

Provident Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 49.5% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,127 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares during the quarter. Provident Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,512,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 13.0% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,118 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,991,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.8% during the third quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC now owns 1,459 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $705,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.1% during the third quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,093 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,462,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 54.6% during the third quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $713,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.8% in the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 7,035 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,401,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.0%

NOC opened at $551.38 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $521.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $546.89. The company has a market capitalization of $78.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.39, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of -0.11. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $470.06 and a 52 week high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The aerospace company reported $7.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.18 by $0.71. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 23.46% and a net margin of 10.37%. The business had revenue of $11.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.67 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 29.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were paid a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets remain supportive. Robert W. Baird upgraded NOC from “hold” to “outperform” and raised its price target to $675 from $550, implying substantial upside. BNP Paribas Exane also expects the stock to appreciate, while Guggenheim initiated or reiterated a “buy” rating. Baird upgrade BNP Paribas Exane outlook Guggenheim buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Backlog and margins are key bullish themes. A review of third-quarter results highlighted a $109.6 billion backlog and signs of a potential margin inflection, supporting longer-term revenue visibility and earnings growth. Northrop Grumman Q3 backlog analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Recent results exceeded expectations. NOC reported quarterly EPS of $7.89 versus the $7.18 consensus estimate, with revenue up 6.7% year over year. Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $29.35–$29.75 is also above consensus, reinforcing the earnings-growth case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion is mixed. RBC Capital assigned a “hold” rating even as a separate RBC forecast pointed to strong potential appreciation. This divergence may encourage investors to take profits following the recent rally. RBC hold rating
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains a risk. Commentary on NOC and other defense contractors noted that strong backlogs and guidance improvements are accompanied by margin pressures and paused buybacks, which could weigh on near-term valuation.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on NOC. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $617.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $612.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $642.04.

Northrop Grumman 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.