Clearbridge Investments LLC Has $337.73 Million Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Clearbridge Investments LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 26.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 592,285 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 215,121 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.42% of Northrop Grumman worth $337,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in 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 buying an additional 209,135 shares during the last quarter. Nkcfo LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,986,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 111,927 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $63,822,000 after buying an additional 9,924 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,987,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 158,958 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $90,639,000 after buying an additional 2,025 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on NOC shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $660.00 to $620.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Argus set a $785.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $702.63.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $544.73 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $603.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $631.07. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $472.02 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The firm has a market cap of $77.37 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a PEG ratio of 3.71 and a beta of -0.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its 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. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The firm had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.06 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $2.47 per share. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.