BlackRock Inc. Invests $6 Billion in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 11.8 million Northrop Grumman shares worth approximately $6.0 billion during the second quarter, giving it an 8.3% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 83.4% of the company.
• Northrop Grumman exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $7.68 in EPS versus the $6.82 consensus estimate and $10.88 billion in revenue, up 5.1% year over year. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $28.60–$29.10.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $659.30, compared with a recent price of $570.59.

BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 11,783,817 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $6,001,616,000. BlackRock Inc. owned about 8.30% of Northrop Grumman at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $7,835,097,000 after buying an additional 209,135 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 39.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,958,151,000 after acquiring an additional 970,029 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,149,478 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,793,478,000 after acquiring an additional 17,948 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,125,139 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,781,986,000 after acquiring an additional 128,855 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,666,517 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $950,265,000 after acquiring an additional 62,817 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 2.6%

NYSE NOC opened at $570.59 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $539.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $612.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.13, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of -0.11. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $479.02 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 10.48%.The company had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.15 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $653.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $615.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $745.00 target price on Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $815.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $659.30.

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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