Chesapeake Capital Corp IL Acquires New Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Chesapeake Capital Corp IL initiated a new position in Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC), buying 2,149 shares worth about $1.31 million — roughly 1.2% of its portfolio and the fund's 13th largest holding.
• Northrop Grumman beat quarterly expectations with $7.23 EPS vs. $6.97 expected and $11.71 billion in revenue, and set FY2026 guidance of $27.40–$27.90 EPS (analysts forecast ~28.05 EPS).
• Insider activity shows notable selling: CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares for about $14.18 million, and insiders have sold 32,431 shares (~$21.97 million) in the past 90 days, while institutional investors own ~83.4% of the stock.

Chesapeake Capital Corp IL bought a new position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 2,149 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $1,309,000. Northrop Grumman accounts for about 1.2% of Chesapeake Capital Corp IL's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE NOC opened at $733.88 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $450.13 and a 12 month high of $774.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $104.15 billion, a PE ratio of 25.19, a P/E/G ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.03. The stock's 50 day moving average is $691.50 and its 200 day moving average is $619.39.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The business 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%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $765.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial reissued 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 stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $710.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $693.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 151 shares of the company's stock, valued at $108,661.11. The trade was a 93.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.

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