Aigen Investment Management LP Increases Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Aigen Investment Management more than doubled its Northrop Grumman stake in the fourth quarter, boosting holdings by 104.1% to 3,780 shares valued at about $2.16 million.
• Several analysts remain positive on NOC, with the stock holding a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $702.63, though some firms have recently cut their targets.
• Northrop Grumman posted better-than-expected Q1 results and raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share, while shares recently traded down 0.6% to $549.42.

Aigen Investment Management LP boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 104.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,780 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,928 shares during the period. Aigen Investment Management LP's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,155,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $644,000. Apriem Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Apriem Advisors now owns 1,445 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $824,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 49,157 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $28,030,000 after buying an additional 1,059 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,612 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $11,183,000 after buying an additional 778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 147 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $742.00 to $628.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $702.63.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NOC opened at $549.42 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm's 50-day moving average is $589.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $630.38. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a twelve month low of $481.28 and a twelve month high of $774.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20, a PEG ratio of 3.75 and a beta of -0.12.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $2.47 dividend. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

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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