FCG Investment Co Has $1.42 Million Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• FCG Investment Co increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 34.3% in the first quarter, bringing its total shares to 2,775, valued at approximately $1.42 million.
• Several hedge funds, including Vanguard Group and GAMMA Investing LLC, have also significantly boosted their positions in Northrop Grumman, with 83.40% of the stock now owned by institutional investors.
• Northrop Grumman reported $7.11 EPS for the last quarter, outperforming estimates, and announced a dividend increase to $2.31 per share, reflecting a healthy payout ratio of 34.06%.

FCG Investment Co boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 34.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,775 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 708 shares during the period. FCG Investment Co's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,421,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,266,301 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,792,479,000 after acquiring an additional 588,520 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,030,644 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $952,962,000 after acquiring an additional 450,858 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,944,186 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $995,443,000 after acquiring an additional 210,506 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 55,522.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,520,158 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $778,336,000 after acquiring an additional 1,517,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,251,050 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $587,105,000 after buying an additional 118,211 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:NOC traded up $1.2990 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $586.1190. 470,683 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 882,543. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.60, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.15. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $426.24 and a fifty-two week high of $594.68. 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 50 day simple moving average of $535.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $502.32.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total value of $3,793,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 201,602 shares in the company, valued at $101,964,243.54. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $368,706.33. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 7,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,819,575.04. This represents a 8.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 16,536 shares of company stock worth $8,306,857 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NOC. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $547.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $625.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $586.79.

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.