Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service decreased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 378,695 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 4,342 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $215,936,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NOC. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 272.8% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 401,664 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $229,033,000 after acquiring an additional 293,909 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at about $137,280,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position 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 valued at $7,835,097,000 after acquiring an additional 209,135 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1,086.5% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 192,583 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $109,813,000 after buying an additional 176,352 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 7,202.7% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 167,232 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $95,357,000 after buying an additional 164,942 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NOC opened at $562.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market cap of $79.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of -0.11. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $619.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $631.86. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $468.50 and a 12-month high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.06 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $2.47 per share. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 28.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Argus set a $785.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $660.00 to $620.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $800.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $742.00 to $628.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $702.63.

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.