Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 76.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,213 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 62,534 shares during the quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $10,955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Garner Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $175,000. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 3,583 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,043,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. PKS Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 158,958 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $90,639,000 after purchasing an additional 2,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 91.1% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,210 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,401,000 after purchasing an additional 2,007 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Northrop Grumman News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:
Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.5%
NOC opened at $558.33 on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $453.01 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.48, a PEG ratio of 4.05 and a beta of -0.11. The company's 50 day moving average price is $685.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $636.61.
Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.06 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.86 earnings per share for the current year.
Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.92%.
Insider Activity
In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total value of $1,575,226.29. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 151 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $108,661.11. This represents a 93.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total transaction of $14,176,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. This represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 22,336 shares of company stock valued at $15,859,374. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms have weighed in on NOC. Jefferies Financial Group set a $660.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Sunday, April 26th. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial reissued a "hold" rating and set a $623.00 target price (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $710.74.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Profile
(
Free Report)
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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