Quadrature Capital Ltd Sells 20,079 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Quadrature Capital Ltd reduced its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 84.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,762 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 20,079 shares during the quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,881,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 75.0% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 29.2% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 93 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. UBS Group raised their price target on Northrop Grumman to $770.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $696.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $688.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $646.94.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $572.53 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $588.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $553.81. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $426.24 and a 12-month high of $640.90. The company has a market capitalization of $81.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59, a P/E/G ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.43 by $1.24. The company had revenue of $10.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.68 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 25.49%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.00 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.650-26.050 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total value of $54,715.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,414,826.48. The trade was a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company’s Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.