J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Has $4.92 Million Stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,986 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,176 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $4,923,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $7,835,097,000 after buying an additional 209,135 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,149,478 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,793,478,000 after buying an additional 17,948 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,996,284 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,825,696,000 after buying an additional 63,223 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,624,658 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $990,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,152,165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $656,976,000 after purchasing an additional 100,939 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $544.73 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $603.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $631.07. The firm has a market cap of $77.37 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of -0.12. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $472.02 and a 1 year high of $774.00. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.06 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $2.47 dividend. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $742.00 to $628.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Argus set a $785.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $702.63.

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.