Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Purchases 38,102 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 38.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 136,173 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 38,102 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $83,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NOC. Focused Investors LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,054,000 after acquiring an additional 8,300 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 74.5% during the 3rd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,739,000 after purchasing an additional 4,721 shares during the period. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,818,000. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,015,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 81,747 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $49,810,000 after purchasing an additional 3,215 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE:NOC opened at $706.22 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.24, a PEG ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 0.03. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $450.13 and a 52 week high of $774.00. 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 50 day moving average of $703.44 and a 200 day moving average of $624.50.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total transaction of $14,176,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,850,774.50. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 32,431 shares of company stock valued at $21,969,404. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. UBS Group lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $752.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $693.60.

Key Northrop Grumman News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Pentagon seeks a roughly $200 billion request tied to the Iran conflict, which would boost defense budgets and benefit major primes like Northrop through higher program funding and backlog visibility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Northrop’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) supplier summit on Capitol Hill signals active program engagement with Army, suppliers and lawmakers — positive for program momentum, potential follow-on awards, and political support. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary notes Northrop outperformed peers intraday despite declines — indicating relative strength and investor preference within the defense group even on a down day. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst comparisons of Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Northrop (NOC) highlight strong defense demand, backlogs and differing program exposures — useful for investors weighing relative valuation and program risk, but not an immediate catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Northrop set its Q1 2026 earnings release and webcast for April 21 — a near-term event that can move the stock depending on revenue, margin, and guidance vs. already-established FY2026 EPS range. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry test flights (e.g., Talon IQ for CCA Increment 2) reflect active unmanned and CCA development across the sector; incremental tech progress can be positive long term but is not an immediate earnings driver. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: General Dynamics won a $15.38B Navy contract for submarine support — a large competitor award that could influence program share dynamics and investor expectations for how defense budgets are allocated. Article Title

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.