Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Buys 1,894 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 19.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,406 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 1,894 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,504,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $679.10 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $96.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.31, a PEG ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $707.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $628.25. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $450.13 and a 52-week high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The business 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.39 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 31.72%.

Key Headlines Impacting Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Won a $127 million Navy contract to supply supersonic targets — a near-term revenue and backlog boost that reinforces defense spending tailwinds for NOC. Northrop Grumman wins $127 million Navy contract for supersonic targets
• Positive Sentiment: NASA is shifting significant funding toward lunar exploration and has handed major roles to contractors — Northrop is supplying rockets, landers, rovers and power systems, positioning it to capture multi‑billion program spending. Northrop Grumman Moves Closer To Center Of U.S. Lunar Push
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights that the U.S. is directing roughly $20B into lunar efforts to outpace China — another macro tailwind for Northrop’s space business and long‑term revenue visibility. America is About to Spend $20B to Beat China to the Moon
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/AI progress: Talon IQ testbed completed its first partner mission autonomy flight, supporting Northrop’s push into autonomous systems and command/control capabilities that have higher margin potential. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Advances Autonomous Flight Capabilities With Talon IQ
• Positive Sentiment: Retail/media lift: Jim Cramer mentioned NOC as a potential buy, which can drive short-term retail interest and volatility. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Stock Up After Jim Cramer Said It Could Be Bought
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings: Analysts expect only marginal EPS growth for the next quarter — results and guidance will be a near-term catalyst. What You Need To Know Ahead of Northrop Grumman’s Earnings Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Defense ecosystem moves (Golden Dome/AI projects and competitors winning Navy work) reshape opportunity sets but are not immediate positives or negatives for NOC — they affect long-term program mix and partner dynamics. Did Golden Dome, AI Autonomy Advances Just Shift Northrop Grumman’s (NOC) Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitor wins (e.g., General Dynamics’ Navy support contract) highlight strong defense demand but also competition for program dollars. General Dynamics’ Arm Wins a Navy Deal for Submarine Support
• Negative Sentiment: Critical coverage lists valuation and other risks — with a recent share run and high PEG, some investors may trim positions, pressuring the stock in the near term. 3 Reasons NOC is Risky and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total transaction of $65,029.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. This represents a 2.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total transaction of $1,575,226.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $108,661.11. This represents a 93.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 32,431 shares of company stock valued at $21,969,404. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $727.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and set a $623.00 price objective (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $765.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $693.60.

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.