Empowered Funds LLC Has $16.11 Million Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 68.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,606 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,565 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $16,105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NOC. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $603.00 to $533.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $666.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $620.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $659.00.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $550.37 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $535.62 and a 200-day moving average of $621.55. The company has a market capitalization of $78.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.48, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of -0.10. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $479.02 and a 52 week high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.17.

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

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $2.47 dividend. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is currently 31.39%.

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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