Rhumbline Advisers Acquires 7,803 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 3.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 260,004 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,803 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.18% of Northrop Grumman worth $158,426,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at $121,634,929.64. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total transaction of $54,715.76. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,414,826.48. The trade was a 2.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,192 shares of company stock worth $20,341,145. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman and Polish partner plan a large ammunition plant to produce ~180,000 155mm artillery shells per year — a near-term manufacturing win that supports revenue, backlog and European defense industrialization efforts. This deal strengthens NOC’s exposure to NATO rearmament demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $2.31 per share (payable March 11; record Feb 23), signaling continued cash return and disciplined capital allocation — supportive for income-focused shareholders. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at Citi’s Global Industrial Tech & Mobility Conference (Feb 18). CEO Kathy Warden’s appearance — webcast to investors — provides an opportunity to reiterate strategy and guidance, but typically drives only short-term attention unless new guidance or contract detail is disclosed. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Kathy Warden sold 20,000 shares (filed as sale on Feb 6 at ~$708.82). Large insider sales can raise investor concern about timing or valuation even if pre-set, and may weigh on sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and growth questions: recent commentary (The Motley Fool) flags that NOC’s strong earnings beat is offset by guidance that implies low-to-mid single-digit sales growth and a high multiple on free cash flow — a potential headwind for investors focused on valuation and long-term growth. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/headline risk: coverage notes potential penalties tied to Ukraine-related issues even as the company secures contracts in Japan — geopolitical or compliance developments could introduce downside volatility. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NOC shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Vertical Research reissued a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given 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 price target of $693.60.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $679.37 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a twelve month low of $426.24 and a twelve month high of $715.61. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $620.83 and its 200 day moving average is $597.31. The company has a market cap of $96.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 0.04.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 31.72%.

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.