Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Purchased by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 181.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,691 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 2,380 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,105,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1,487.8% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 16,338 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,169,000 after purchasing an additional 15,309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.7% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,865 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,432,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $556.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.97 billion, a PE ratio of 17.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of -0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $636.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $632.39. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $468.29 and a 12 month high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.06 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $2.47 per share. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 28.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup dropped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $742.00 to $628.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Vertical Research reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $688.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $800.00 target price for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $704.74.

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.