Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $693.60.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NOC shares. Bank of America boosted their price objective on 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 boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $752.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Argus set a $785.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, February 10th.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $702.20 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.11, a PEG ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 0.04. Northrop Grumman has a 1-year low of $426.24 and a 1-year high of $715.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company’s 50-day moving average is $626.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $599.27.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total value of $14,176,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at $121,634,929.64. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total value of $54,715.76. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. This represents a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 30,192 shares of company stock valued at $20,341,145 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 45.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,445 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,222,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 119.6% in the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 2,576 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

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.