J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Sells 1,176 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 11.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing 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 quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $4,923,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NOC. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $815.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Argus set a $785.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $742.00 to $628.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $702.63.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $544.73 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $603.63 and its 200 day moving average is $631.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $77.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of -0.12. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $472.02 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.06 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.92%.

About Northrop Grumman

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.