Great Lakes Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Great Lakes Advisors cut its Northrop Grumman stake by 68.8% in the second quarter, selling 4,891 shares and retaining 2,216 shares valued at approximately $1.13 million. Institutional investors collectively own 83.4% of NOC.
• Northrop Grumman reported quarterly EPS of $7.68, beating estimates of $6.82, while revenue rose 5.1% year over year to $10.88 billion. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $28.60–$29.10.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.47 per share, equivalent to $9.88 annually and a 1.8% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $661.30.

Great Lakes Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 68.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,216 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 4,891 shares during the quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,129,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacific Sun Financial Corp boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Pacific Sun Financial Corp now owns 492 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,134,000. Gables Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 391.4% in the 2nd quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,538 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,993,000. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth about $6,183,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total transaction of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 2.1%

NYSE NOC opened at $552.29 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $541.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $610.05. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $479.02 and a one year high of $774.00. The firm has a market cap of $78.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.54, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of -0.11.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $10.88 billion during 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 was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.15 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $500.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $620.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $590.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $603.00 to $533.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $661.30.

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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