AIA Group Ltd Buys 6,093 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• AIA Group Ltd increased its Northrop Grumman stake by 68.4% in Q1, buying 6,093 more shares and lifting its total holding to 14,999 shares valued at about $10.23 million.
• Northrop Grumman shares were up 0.9% to $523.19, while the stock remains below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and sits near the lower end of its 52-week range.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, raised its dividend to $2.47 per share, and analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $676.29.

AIA Group Ltd boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 68.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,999 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,093 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $10,233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NOC. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 380.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $523.19 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $74.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of -0.10. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $538.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $623.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.15. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $493.84 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion for 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%.Northrop Grumman's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.06 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 27.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a $2.47 dividend. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.92%.

Key Headlines Impacting Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Defense stocks are benefiting from a broader sector rally as investors respond to expectations for stronger U.S. military spending, including a proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget backdrop. Northrop Grumman rises as defense-spending tailwinds and program momentum lift sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is building ahead of Northrop Grumman’s July 21 Q2 results, with a strong backlog and government contract momentum expected to support the quarter. Northrop Grumman to Post Q2 Earnings: Here's What to Expect
• Positive Sentiment: Recent program news, including work tied to Sentinel infrastructure, is reinforcing the long-term growth story for strategic deterrence and aerospace missions. Northrop Grumman Planning To Add Hundreds Of Jobs For Sentinel
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains mixed-to-positive, with recent coverage focused on key earnings metrics and margin sensitivity, especially around the Sentinel program.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider trading data shows no open-market insider buying in the last six months, while several executives have sold shares, which may temper some enthusiasm.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on NOC shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $628.00 to $587.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 26th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $603.00 to $533.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $676.29.

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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