Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 32,398 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 5,591 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $19,741,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 75.0% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on NOC shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $765.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $752.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Vertical Research restated a “hold” rating and issued a $688.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $688.79.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total value of $65,029.40. Following the sale, the director owned 4,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. This represents a 2.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.00, for a total value of $1,845,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 191,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $117,835,230. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 10,192 shares of company stock worth $6,164,745 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NOC opened at $698.98 on Tuesday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $426.24 and a 12-month high of $715.61. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $615.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $595.92. The firm has a market cap of $99.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 0.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.72%.

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.