Aberdeen Group plc Has $7.80 Million Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 12.6% in Q4 to 13,681 shares, worth about $7.80 million.
• Q4 results: Northrop Grumman beat expectations with EPS of $7.23 (vs. $6.97 est.) and revenue of $11.71B (vs. $11.61B est.), and set FY2026 guidance of $27.40–$27.90 EPS (analysts forecast ~28.05).
• Market sentiment and activity: Analysts give a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $708.65 (Citigroup raised its target to $807), the company pays a $9.24 annual dividend (1.3% yield), and insiders sold roughly 22,431 shares recently, including CEO Kathy Warden's 20,000-share sale.

Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,681 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 1,528 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $7,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its holdings 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% during 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 last quarter. CW Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 10.2% during the second quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 1,057 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 12.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 81,243 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $40,532,000 after purchasing an additional 8,986 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on NOC. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Susquehanna restated a "positive" rating and set a $752.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $781.00 to $807.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $708.65.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $687.49 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $97.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $710.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $634.32. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a one year low of $450.13 and a one year high of $774.00.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total value of $14,176,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at $121,634,929.64. This represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,850,774.50. The trade was a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 22,431 shares of company stock valued at $15,924,404 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

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.

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