Wealthfront Advisers LLC Takes $7.99 Million Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 15,694 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,993,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 61,436 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,914,000 after buying an additional 4,041 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised 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 valued at $7,835,097,000 after buying an additional 209,135 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 111,927 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $63,822,000 after buying an additional 9,924 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 17,948 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 70.1% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,497 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,564,000 after acquiring an additional 1,853 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $583.14 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a twelve month low of $479.02 and a twelve month high of $774.00. The company has a market cap of $82.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of -0.11. The company’s 50 day moving average is $541.15 and its 200 day moving average is $611.37.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.80 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 10.48%.The company’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.15 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NOC. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Northrop Grumman from $603.00 to $533.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $617.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $615.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a 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 issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $661.30.

Key Headlines Impacting Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $2.47 per share, payable September 16 to shareholders of record August 31. The payment reinforces the company’s commitment to returning capital while continuing investments in manufacturing capacity and technology. Northrop Grumman Board Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: NOC and Kratos secured a U.S. Marine Corps contract to deliver missionized Valkyrie autonomous aircraft, expanding Northrop Grumman’s position in uncrewed and collaborative defense systems. Northrop Grumman Lands Marine Corps Autonomous Aircraft Contract
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its NOC price target to $590 from $550, although it maintained a “hold” rating, implying limited near-term upside. TD Cowen Raises Northrop Grumman Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent operational developments, including design progress on the E-2D Hawkeye upgrade and expansion of military training capabilities, support Northrop Grumman’s long-term defense portfolio but do not appear to represent a major new financial catalyst. Northrop Grumman Clears Design Review for E-2D Hawkeye Upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on higher capital spending required to expand production, which could pressure near-term free cash flow and margins despite strong demand. Investors’ Focus on Higher Capital Spending Weighed on Northrop Grumman
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity has consisted entirely of sales in the past six months, while more institutions reduced positions than added them in the latest quarter. These signals may be contributing to investor caution.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. This trade represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

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.