Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Lowers Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 14.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,398 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 5,591 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $19,741,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in NOC. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 75.0% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC opened at $698.98 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $615.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $595.92. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $426.24 and a fifty-two week high of $715.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.20 billion, a PE ratio of 24.00, a PEG ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 0.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $11.71 billion for 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%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.39 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 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $765.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price objective (down previously from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $727.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Vertical Research restated a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $688.79.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total value of $4,200,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 194,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $116,761,200. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the director owned 4,281 shares in the company, valued at $2,414,826.48. This represents a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 10,192 shares of company stock worth $6,164,745 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.