HighTower Advisors LLC Acquires 2,610 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 2.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,693 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,610 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $47,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Karpus Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on NOC shares. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, June 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $603.00 to $533.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $500.00 target price on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $653.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $661.30.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total transaction of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,405,299.29. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.2%

NOC stock opened at $513.89 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $72.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of -0.11. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a one year low of $479.02 and a one year high of $774.00. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $545.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $597.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The company had revenue of $10.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.15 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 31.39%.

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.