Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Acquired by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 6.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,286 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,164 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $9,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Karpus Management Inc. acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 380.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, EFG International AG purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,405,299.29. This trade represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.7%

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $524.08 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of -0.11. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $479.02 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $543.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $600.86. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 previous year, the business posted $8.15 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. Analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS 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 issued a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 31.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NOC. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $617.00 to $667.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $745.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $500.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $661.30.

Northrop Grumman 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.