Martingale Asset Management L P Decreases Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Martingale Asset Management L P trimmed its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,856 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 3,524 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $27,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Focused Investors LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the third quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,054,000 after acquiring an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 74.5% during the 3rd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,739,000 after purchasing an additional 4,721 shares during the period. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,818,000. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth $1,015,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 81,747 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $49,810,000 after purchasing an additional 3,215 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $735.20 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $688.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $618.37. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $450.13 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.24, a PEG ratio of 5.45 and a beta of 0.03.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The company’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last 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, research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 31.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. BTIG Research raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Argus set a $785.00 target price on Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $693.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,850,774.50. This represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total transaction of $14,176,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 171,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman 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.