Zacks Research Cuts Earnings Estimates for Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) – Research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Northrop Grumman in a research report issued on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the aerospace company will post earnings of $28.43 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $28.47. The consensus estimate for Northrop Grumman’s current full-year earnings is $28.05 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Northrop Grumman’s Q4 2026 earnings at $8.33 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $5.62 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $8.67 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $30.45 EPS.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.43 by $1.24. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 25.49%. The business had revenue of $10.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.650-26.050 EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on NOC. BTIG Research raised their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $727.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price target (down previously from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $652.76.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $625.23 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $89.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a P/E/G ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 0.05. Northrop Grumman has a 12-month low of $426.24 and a 12-month high of $640.90. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $572.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $574.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NOC. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,394,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 97.0% in the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 853 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the period. Finally, RB Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 3,865 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $615.00, for a total transaction of $1,845,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 191,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $117,835,230. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total transaction of $54,715.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,097 shares of company stock valued at $6,099,716. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.24%.

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.