Hilltop Holdings Inc. Sells 6,227 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Hilltop Holdings Inc. decreased its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 93.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 456 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 6,227 shares during the quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 353 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $134,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,973 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 4,012 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,288,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Equity Partners boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 1,337 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $762,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $628.00 to $587.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $666.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $745.00 price target on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $620.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $659.00.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $550.37 on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1-year low of $479.02 and a 1-year high of $774.00. The company has a market cap of $78.17 billion, a PE ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of -0.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company has a 50-day moving average of $535.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $621.55.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $10.88 billion for 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%. Northrop Grumman's revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.15 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a $2.47 dividend. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 31.39%.

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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