Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 44,171 Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC invested approximately $22.62 million in Northrop Grumman Corporation by acquiring 44,171 shares in the first quarter.
• Northrop Grumman reported earnings per share of $7.11 for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, with a 1.3% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend from $2.06 to $2.31 per share, reflecting a strong financial position with a current payout ratio of 34.06%.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 44,171 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $22,616,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 13,120 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,702,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 849,408 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $434,906,000 after acquiring an additional 50,782 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 21.1% during the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 5,936 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,039,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 1,712 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $877,000 after buying an additional 922 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 67,086 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $32,442,000 after buying an additional 1,892 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,964,243.54. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Fleming sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total value of $1,770,195.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,827 shares in the company, valued at $924,041.79. This trade represents a 65.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 16,536 shares of company stock worth $8,306,857 over the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on NOC. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Bank of America boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $480.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $547.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $586.79.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.2%

Northrop Grumman stock traded up $1.2990 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $586.1190. 470,683 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 995,656. The company has a market capitalization of $83.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.60, a PEG ratio of 5.59 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The business's 50 day moving average is $533.94 and its 200 day moving average is $501.74. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $426.24 and a 52 week high of $594.68.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $10.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.15 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.52% and a net margin of 9.74%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.36 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. Analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

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.