Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Price Target Raised to $600.00

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its price objective upped by BNP Paribas Exane from $540.00 to $600.00 in a report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $533.00 to $538.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $556.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $675.00 target price on Northrop Grumman and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $641.83.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $551.38 on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman has a 52-week low of $470.06 and a 52-week high of $774.00. The stock has a market cap of $78.33 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of -0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $521.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $547.94.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The aerospace company reported $7.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.18 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $11.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.14 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 23.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.67 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman will post 29.53 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a dividend of $2.47 per share. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,001,616,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth $1,298,141,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth $376,135,000. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth $44,039,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth $194,058,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets remain supportive. Robert W. Baird upgraded NOC from “hold” to “outperform” and raised its price target to $675 from $550, implying substantial upside. BNP Paribas Exane also expects the stock to appreciate, while Guggenheim initiated or reiterated a “buy” rating. Baird upgrade BNP Paribas Exane outlook Guggenheim buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Backlog and margins are key bullish themes. A review of third-quarter results highlighted a $109.6 billion backlog and signs of a potential margin inflection, supporting longer-term revenue visibility and earnings growth. Northrop Grumman Q3 backlog analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Recent results exceeded expectations. NOC reported quarterly EPS of $7.89 versus the $7.18 consensus estimate, with revenue up 6.7% year over year. Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $29.35–$29.75 is also above consensus, reinforcing the earnings-growth case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion is mixed. RBC Capital assigned a “hold” rating even as a separate RBC forecast pointed to strong potential appreciation. This divergence may encourage investors to take profits following the recent rally. RBC hold rating
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains a risk. Commentary on NOC and other defense contractors noted that strong backlogs and guidance improvements are accompanied by margin pressures and paused buybacks, which could weigh on near-term valuation.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and produces systems for government and commercial customers, with the U.S. government representing its primary customer base. The company operates across aerospace, defense, space, cybersecurity and advanced technology markets.

Its products and services include military aircraft and autonomous systems, space systems and satellites, missile defense technologies, command-and-control systems, cyber solutions, sensors, communications networks and other mission-critical systems.