HighTower Advisors LLC Raises Stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors increased its Northrop Grumman stake by 2.9% in the second quarter, holding 93,693 shares valued at approximately $47.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 83.4% of the company.
• Northrop Grumman reported quarterly EPS of $7.68, exceeding estimates of $6.82, while revenue rose 5.1% year over year to $10.88 billion. The company issued 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 1.9% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $661.30.

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 93,693 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 2,610 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Northrop Grumman worth $47,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 50,207.8% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 105,745,489 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $53,857,235,000 after acquiring an additional 105,535,292 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,001,616,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,298,141,000. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 39.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,958,151,000 after purchasing an additional 970,029 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at $376,135,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $513.89 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.32, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of -0.11. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a one year low of $479.02 and a one year high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $545.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $597.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 10.48%.The company had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.15 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $2.47 dividend. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.39%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. This trade represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the topic of several research reports. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $785.00 to $655.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $500.00 price target on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $745.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $666.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $661.30.

Northrop Grumman Profile

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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