Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Stock Position Lifted by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation by 10.9%, owning 19,743 shares valued at approximately $10,124,000 as of the latest SEC filing.
• Insider trading activity revealed that VP Thomas H. Jones and VP Robert J. Fleming sold a significant number of shares, with total insider sales amounting to $8.3 million in the last quarter.
• Equities analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" on Northrop Grumman, with recent price targets ranging between $565.00 and $625.00 from various analysts following positive earnings results.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 10.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,743 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,933 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $10,124,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 790.0% during the 1st quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 89 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $3,793,275.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 201,602 shares in the company, valued at $101,964,243.54. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $368,706.33. Following the sale, the vice president owned 7,552 shares in the company, valued at $3,819,575.04. This represents a 8.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,536 shares of company stock worth $8,306,857 over the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $480.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $625.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $586.79.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NOC stock traded down $5.2310 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $591.9790. 616,625 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 736,066. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1-year low of $426.24 and a 1-year high of $600.99. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $541.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $504.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.82, a PEG ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 0.15.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.84 by $0.27. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 25.52%. The business had revenue of $10.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.36 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is currently 34.06%.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company's Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.