Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Position Reduced by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd trimmed its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 6.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,435 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,326 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $9,396,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 380.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Perkins Coie Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total transaction of $52,015.35. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat estimates: Adjusted earnings were $7.89 per share, above the roughly $7.18–$7.22 consensus, while revenue rose 6.7% year over year to $11.12 billion, broadly matching expectations. Reuters earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance was raised: NOC now expects fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS of $29.35–$29.75, above the approximately $28.97 consensus. Revenue guidance of $43.8 billion–$44.3 billion is centered near Wall Street expectations. Northrop Grumman financial results
• Positive Sentiment: Record backlog supports visibility: Backlog reached approximately $109.6 billion, or about $110 billion, up roughly 20% year over year. Third-quarter awards totaled $16.4 billion, and management cited strong demand across defense and space programs.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth outlook improved: Management is targeting 5%–7% sales growth in 2027, supported by B-21 investments, while sales increased across all four operating segments in the latest quarter. Q3 earnings call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment strengthened: BNP Paribas Exane raised its target to $600 and assigned an “outperform” rating; Baird reportedly lifted its target to $675 and upgraded the shares. These revisions reinforce the view that the recent pullback may offer valuation support. Analyst price target revisions
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors continue to view NOC as an income-oriented defense stock backed by long-term Pentagon contracts, but the stock remains down about 17% year to date, keeping valuation and dividend sustainability central to the investment case.
• Negative Sentiment: Higher capital spending, potential margin pressure, paused buybacks, and uncertainty over future defense budgets could limit near-term upside despite the record backlog.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 1.0%

NOC stock opened at $539.46 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a twelve month low of $470.06 and a twelve month high of $774.00. The company has a market cap of $76.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.02, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of -0.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $522.28 and a 200-day moving average of $548.98.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The aerospace company reported $7.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.18 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $11.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.14 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 23.46% and a net margin of 10.37%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 29.55 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NOC. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $675.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $612.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $641.35.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

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.