Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Canal Insurance CO

Canal Insurance CO reduced its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 24.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 30,093 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 10,000 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman accounts for approximately 4.4% of Canal Insurance CO’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Canal Insurance CO’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $20,531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 176.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares during the period. AXA S.A. boosted its holdings 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 worth $8,169,000 after purchasing an additional 15,309 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.7% during 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $541.84 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $540.52 and its 200-day moving average is $625.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.65 and a beta of -0.10. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $493.84 and a 12-month high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.06 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $2.47 per share. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 30.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NOC. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 26th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $815.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $628.00 to $587.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $683.45.

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.