Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank Of Canada Analyst Says

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its price target hoisted by Royal Bank Of Canada from $525.00 to $550.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “sector perform” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price points to a potential upside of 2.85% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on NOC. Citigroup increased 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. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $704.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $533.00 to $538.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $636.91.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC stock opened at $534.78 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $75.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.99, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of -0.11. Northrop Grumman has a twelve month low of $470.06 and a twelve month high of $774.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $523.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $550.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The aerospace company reported $7.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.18 by $0.71. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The business had revenue of $11.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.67 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman will post 28.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total transaction of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 47,945 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $23,180,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 56,857 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,489,000 after buying an additional 646 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 309.5% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 7,240 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,500,000 after buying an additional 5,472 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 96,123 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $46,474,000 after buying an additional 8,727 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 20.1% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,487 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,242,000 after buying an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat expectations: Adjusted earnings were $7.89 per diluted share, ahead of the roughly $7.18–$7.22 consensus, while sales rose 6.7% year over year to $11.12 billion, broadly matching estimates. Revenue increased across all four business segments, including 14% growth in aeronautics and 12% growth in defense. Northrop Grumman Q3 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance was raised: Management increased its 2026 midpoint for adjusted earnings per share to approximately $29.55 and raised its segment operating-income outlook by $65 million, while maintaining full-year sales guidance of $43.75 billion to $44.25 billion. Northrop lifts 2026 profit forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Record backlog supports visibility: Backlog reached approximately $109.6 billion, up about 20% year over year, with a 1.5-times book-to-bill ratio. Management cited unprecedented demand for military technology, while its preliminary 2027 outlook calls for 5%–7% sales growth. Northrop Grumman long-term investor takeaways
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support added to the bullish reaction: Bank of America analyst Ronald Epstein reiterated a Buy rating and maintained a $750 price target following the earnings beat, backlog growth and raised outlook. Bank of America reiterates Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors continue to monitor political and budget risks for defense contractors, including concerns that a potential Democratic congressional sweep could affect certain weapons programs. These concerns were outweighed by NOC’s current operating results and demand outlook. Defense stocks and election risk
• Negative Sentiment: Some insider-trading data showed sales and no reported purchases over the past six months, a secondary caution for investors, although the transactions were not the primary driver of the market reaction.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and produces systems for government and commercial customers, with the U.S. government representing its primary customer base. The company operates across aerospace, defense, space, cybersecurity and advanced technology markets.

Its products and services include military aircraft and autonomous systems, space systems and satellites, missile defense technologies, command-and-control systems, cyber solutions, sensors, communications networks and other mission-critical systems.