Appleton Partners Inc. MA Sells 2,693 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Appleton Partners Inc. MA cut its Northrop Grumman stake by 50.1% in the first quarter, selling 2,693 shares and leaving it with 2,683 shares valued at about $1.83 million.
• Northrop Grumman reported better-than-expected first-quarter results, with EPS of $6.14 versus $6.06 expected and revenue of $9.88 billion versus $9.75 billion expected. The company also reaffirmed FY 2026 guidance of 27.4 to 27.9 EPS.
• The defense contractor raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share, up from $2.31, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $698.37.

Appleton Partners Inc. MA trimmed its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 50.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,683 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 2,693 shares during the period. Appleton Partners Inc. MA's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,830,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $547.81 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of -0.10. The stock's fifty day moving average is $544.85 and its 200 day moving average is $626.92. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $493.84 and a 52 week high of $774.00. 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 (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.06 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman's revenue 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a $2.47 dividend. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 30.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $800.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $698.37.

Northrop Grumman News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman won a roughly $312.34 million contract modification to keep producing Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 systems for the U.S. Navy, extending work through August 2029 and reinforcing multi-year revenue visibility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted the award as evidence of strong demand for advanced electronic warfare and mission-critical defense technology, which supports the bullish case for NOC’s order pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary also pointed to Northrop Grumman’s recent contract wins in space, propulsion, and missile systems, plus its reaffirmed 2026 outlook and upcoming July 21 earnings date, as reasons investors are rotating into the stock. Article Title

Northrop Grumman Company 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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