Intech Investment Management LLC Sells 9,143 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Intech Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 33.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 17,915 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 9,143 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $10,916,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth $6,457,274,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at about $491,985,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 11.8% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,933,061 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,466,472,000 after purchasing an additional 308,680 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 26.7% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,051,226 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $640,534,000 after buying an additional 221,431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 49,898.2% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 169,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $84,744,000 after buying an additional 169,155 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $711.24 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $450.13 and a 52 week high of $745.55. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $654.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $607.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap 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.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus set a $785.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Vertical Research reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $688.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $693.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total value of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,850,774.50. The trade was a 5.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.