Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Boosts Stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 6.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 18,286 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 1,164 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $9,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at $6,001,616,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,298,141,000. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 39.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,958,151,000 after purchasing an additional 970,029 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $376,135,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth approximately $44,039,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $524.08 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $543.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $600.86. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $479.02 and a 1 year high of $774.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $74.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.65, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of -0.11.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.80 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 10.48%.Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.15 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $2.47 dividend. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 31.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $785.00 to $655.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $603.00 to $533.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $666.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Northrop Grumman from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, June 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $661.30.

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.