Ascentis Independent Advisors Purchases 1,909 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Ascentis Independent Advisors increased its Northrop Grumman stake by 142.8% in the first quarter, buying 1,909 additional shares and bringing its total to 3,246 shares valued at about $2.22 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their positions, and institutional ownership remains high at 83.4% of the company’s stock.
• Northrop Grumman recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, and it raised its dividend to $2.47 per share, giving the stock an annualized dividend of $9.88 and a yield of about 1.8%.

Ascentis Independent Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 142.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,246 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,909 shares during the period. Ascentis Independent Advisors' holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,394,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC increased 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 valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 1,978 shares during the period. AXA S.A. raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 1,487.8% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 16,338 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $8,169,000 after acquiring an additional 15,309 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,865 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,432,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $800.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $698.37.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $547.06 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $544.85 and its 200-day simple 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 market capitalization of $77.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.12, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of -0.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.The firm had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

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

About Northrop Grumman

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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