Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Boosts Stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 181.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,691 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 2,380 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NOC. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $30,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on NOC. Vertical Research reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $742.00 to $628.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $815.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $660.00 target price on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $704.74.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $556.01 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $468.29 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of -0.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $636.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $632.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.06 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 28.92%.

About Northrop Grumman

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.