Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Raised to Strong Sell at Barclays

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) was upgraded by stock analysts at Barclays to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Zacks reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on NOC. UBS Group raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $704.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $590.00 to $540.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $640.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley set a $745.00 target price on Northrop Grumman and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $644.70.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:NOC opened at $480.95 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of -0.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company has a fifty day moving average of $531.46 and a 200 day moving average of $559.90. Northrop Grumman has a 52 week low of $470.06 and a 52 week high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The business had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.15 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 28.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director owned 4,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. This trade represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 7.0% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 61,436 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $41,914,000 after acquiring an additional 4,041 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,169,195 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,707,203,000 after purchasing an additional 168,267 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 115,660 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $66,000,000 after purchasing an additional 8,706 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,308,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,298,141,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman integrated SRC’s Gryphon R1810 long-range radar into its Raid Hunter air-defense system. The upgrade is designed to improve detection and precision against multiple airborne targets, including drone swarms, potentially strengthening the company’s positioning in counter-drone and infrastructure-protection markets. Northrop Grumman Upgraded Raid Hunter With New Long Range Radar
• Positive Sentiment: Citi maintained its Buy rating on NOC, signaling that the bank continues to see value in Northrop’s defense portfolio and long-term prospects. Citi Remains a Buy on Northrop Grumman
• Positive Sentiment: Recent investment commentary highlights Northrop’s record backlog, raised guidance and dividend appeal after a significant year-to-date decline. Its latest quarterly results also exceeded earnings expectations, while full-year 2026 EPS guidance remains strong at $28.60–$29.10. As War Fades Away, It’s Time to Buy Defense Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor comparisons of Northrop Grumman and L3Harris focus on their dividends, backlogs and potential risks, but do not provide a new company-specific catalyst or material financial update. LHX vs. NOC: Which Defense Dividend Will Actually Protect Your Retirement?
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage with an Underweight rating, adding to concerns about valuation, execution or near-term upside. Barclays Initiates Coverage at Underweight
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen lowered its price target from $590 to $540 and assigned a Hold rating. Although the revised target implies potential upside from the recent trading level, the cut signals reduced expectations and may pressure the stock.

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. Department of Defense and other government agencies representing its primary markets. Its work spans advanced aircraft, autonomous systems, space systems, missile defense, command and control, cybersecurity, and other mission-critical technologies.

The company’s offerings include strategic and tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft systems, satellites, spacecraft, launch vehicles, missile-warning and missile-defense systems, secure communications, and cyber and information systems.