Capital International Sarl Lowers Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Capital International Sarl reduced its stake in Northrop Grumman by 10.9% in Q3, selling 8,208 shares and now holding 67,143 shares valued at about $40.9 million.
• Northrop Grumman beat quarterly expectations with $7.23 EPS (vs. $6.97 est.) and $11.71 billion revenue, and issued FY2026 guidance of 27.400–27.900 EPS versus analyst forecasts around 28.05.
• Insiders have been selling stock (CEO Kathy Warden sold 20,000 shares for ~$14.18M; total insider sales last quarter were 32,431 shares worth ~$21.97M) while institutional investors own roughly 83.4% of the company.

Capital International Sarl reduced its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 67,143 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 8,208 shares during the quarter. Capital International Sarl's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $40,912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Focused Investors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the third quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $129,054,000 after purchasing an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 74.5% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $6,739,000 after buying an additional 4,721 shares during the period. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at about $2,818,000. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,015,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $491,985,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.2%

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $747.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $678.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $615.73. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $450.13 and a 52 week high of $774.00. The stock has a market cap of $106.03 billion, a PE ratio of 25.65, a P/E/G ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 0.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 31.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $623.00 price objective (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $662.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $693.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total value of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,850,774.50. This represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total value of $14,176,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at $121,634,929.64. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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