Empowered Funds LLC Raises Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation by 5.8%, acquiring a total of 12,904 shares worth approximately $6,607,000 as of the latest quarter.
• Northrop Grumman recently reported earnings of $7.11 per share, surpassing expectations, and set a fiscal guidance for EPS in FY 2025 between $25.000 and $25.400.
• The company will pay a quarterly dividend of $2.31 per share on September 17th, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.6%.

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 5.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,904 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 708 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. HFM Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter worth $86,000. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter valued at about $345,000. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 16.9% in the first quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 5,168 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,646,000 after acquiring an additional 749 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the first quarter worth about $1,577,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth about $2,147,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on NOC. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $547.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Bank of America increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $588.85.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $579.48 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $426.24 and a 12-month high of $600.99. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $564.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $516.02. 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 company has a market cap of $82.97 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.13.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.84 by $0.27. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.52% and a net margin of 9.74%.The firm had revenue of $10.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.36 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. Analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 34.06%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Robert J. Fleming sold 3,500 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total value of $1,770,195.00. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $368,706.33. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 7,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,819,575.04. This represents a 8.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,762 shares of company stock valued at $5,948,896 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Northrop Grumman

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.

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