Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 13,116 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 298,108 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,116 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $181,643,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,394,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 367.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 1,978 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 29.2% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 93 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 715 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $711.24 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $654.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $607.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.42, a P/E/G ratio of 5.23 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $450.13 and a 12-month high of $745.55.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The firm had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.39 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total value of $14,176,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $121,634,929.64. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total transaction of $1,575,226.29. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $108,661.11. This trade represents a 93.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price target (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Argus set a $785.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $693.60.

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.