Carnegie Investment Counsel Buys 7,507 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 15.8%, buying 7,507 shares to hold 55,010 shares worth about $31.37 million at the end of the quarter.
• Northrop Grumman beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $7.23 (consensus $6.97) and revenue of $11.71B (consensus $11.61B), and set FY2026 EPS guidance of $27.40–$27.90.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive with an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $719.58, while institutional investors own about 83.4% of the stock.

Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 15.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,010 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,507 shares during the quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $31,367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,531,586 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $8,245,066,000 after acquiring an additional 109,941 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,996,284 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,825,696,000 after acquiring an additional 63,223 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.3% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,624,658 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $990,046,000 after acquiring an additional 4,844 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 26.7% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,051,226 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $640,534,000 after acquiring an additional 221,431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 746,585 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $454,909,000 after acquiring an additional 29,478 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NOC. Vertical Research reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $688.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $623.00 price target (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "positive" rating and set a $752.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $781.00 to $807.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $719.58.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $674.43 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $95.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.15, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $450.13 and a 1 year high of $774.00. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $710.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $635.39.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.97 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.Northrop Grumman's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.39 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 31.72%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total transaction of $65,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. This represents a 2.21% 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 Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total value of $1,575,226.29. Following the sale, the vice president owned 151 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $108,661.11. This trade represents a 93.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 22,431 shares of company stock worth $15,924,404 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.