Guggenheim Capital LLC Acquires 11,959 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation by 59.3%, owning 32,109 shares valued at $16.44 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Northrop Grumman reports a quarterly earnings per share of $7.11, surpassing analysts' expectations, and sets FY 2025 guidance between $25.00-25.40 EPS.
• A number of analysts have raised their price targets for Northrop Grumman, with Bank of America increasing its target to $650.00, suggesting a generally optimistic outlook for the stock.

Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 59.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,109 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,959 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $16,440,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RB Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.0% during the first quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 3,760 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,925,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 73.4% during the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 5,387 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,758,000 after acquiring an additional 2,281 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 94.5% in the first quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 27,363 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $14,010,000 after purchasing an additional 13,298 shares during the last quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.8% in the first quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC now owns 549 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter valued at $240,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE NOC traded up $1.57 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $589.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 181,211 shares, compared to its average volume of 972,766. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $552.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $510.22. The stock has a market cap of $84.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.74, a P/E/G ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.13. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $426.24 and a 52 week high of $600.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.84 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $10.35 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.36 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of the company'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 value of $3,793,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 201,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at $101,964,243.54. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $490.00, for a total value of $485,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $156,310. The trade was a 75.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 16,536 shares of company stock valued at $8,306,857. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on NOC. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $547.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $542.00 price objective (down from $580.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, July 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $588.85.

Northrop Grumman Profile

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.