Gradient Investments LLC Sells 25,511 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Gradient Investments LLC lessened its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 98.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 521 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 25,511 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $297,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $765.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $693.60.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $681.67 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $705.58 and a 200 day moving average of $625.92. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $450.13 and a 52 week high of $774.00. The company has a market cap of $96.74 billion, a PE ratio of 23.40, a P/E/G ratio of 5.05 and a beta of 0.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total value of $1,575,226.29. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 151 shares in the company, valued at $108,661.11. This trade represents a 93.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of Northrop Grumman 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.